All posts by Noob of All Trades

Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.
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Farewell Parks and Rec

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(Editor’s Note: We’re going to take a hiatus from games for this one. I’ve been meaning to do this article for a few months, but it got lost in the shuffle. Parks and Recreation was such a good show that I want to give it a proper send off. Don’t worry. The games will be back next week.)

(2nd Editor’s Note: I have been trying to break up my posts from appearing as a wall of text. Because of my respect for this fantastic show, I’m bringing back the wall for this article. TLDR: Parks and Rec is a very good show. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. You won’t be disappointed.)

When I last wrote a “Farewell” post, it was for The Walking Dead and it was because I just couldn’t handle the level of violence and misery offered by the show. I’m getting sensitive in my old age. American Horror Story suffered a similar fate after their love of shock seemed to trump any attempt at story. I never wrote an article about that show because (a) I don’t have the history with that show and (b) I didn’t have a web page at the time. My history with Parks and Rec is not as deep as Walking Dead, either, but it is significant.

I come not to bury Parks and Recreation. In fact, when I tuned into the most recent season a few months ago, I had no idea that it was the final season. Rather, I come to praise it as one of the most consistent shows ever. (Who knew that memorizing that speech would someday pay off? My 9th grade English teacher, that’s who!) I knew that sounds like damning with faint praise, but I’m not.

It wasn’t one of my favorite shows. I found it not because of a personal recommendation or overwhelming critical praise, but completely by accident. I think that it came up as one of the “Shows You May Like” or whatever Hulu calls it. I watched the first few episodes and just kept watching because it was always good. Other shows have ups and downs. That never happened with Parks and Rec. It just kept plugging along like the little engine that could. Again, I’m not doing such a great job of selling this. Admittedly, I’m a terrible salesman. Let me try again.

Initially I watched for the same reason that I suspect many watched. There are so many familiar faces in the show. Hey, she’s from SNL. That’s Pam’s boyfriend from The Office. No, not that one. The other one. The one that nobody liked because we were supposed to be all in on Jim and Pam. Speaking of, remember the whole Jim and Pam fight story line? Ups and downs, Man, ups and downs. Holy cow, is that Rob Lowe?

Eventually, I had watched enough for the other characters to become more recognizable. I didn’t like Tom much at first. He grew on me. I’m not sure if it was by design–though I suspect it was because the show never suffered from identity crisis, either–gradually Tom’s bravado became a thin veneer of armor to protect his soft and fuzzy heart of gold. Holy mixed metaphors, Batman! I saw myself in Tom’s story and I started to root for the guy. Even as he repeatedly hitched his wagon to John Ralphio (who is the closest to unwatchable as the show ever came and I never considered it), I looked forward to Tom’s scenes more and more with each passing episode.

My other alter ego on the show, April, appealed to me right away. Like Ton, she hid her true identity. Unlike Tom, but more like me, she used her acerbic wit to deflect any possible feelings. I instantly identified with her sarcasm as a defense mechanism. She was my first favorite character on the show.

Andy, who I mistakenly identified earlier as the they that everyone was supposed to hate on The Office to make them love Jim and Pam more, played such an iconic role that I have a tough time placing him in new roles. Similar to Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I will always identify as Buffy and vice versa. I always thought it was just because she was such a bad actor, but I’m having the same trouble with him. He played Starlord, one of my favorite comic book characters of all time and I still think of him as “Andy” and it even sometimes is “Andy” followed by a wide smile.

Donna was fine as “everybody’s sassy black lady friend”, Jerry was a bit tiresome as the fat, old, dumb white guy. Neither of them added enough to the show to be anything more than minor supporting characters, but they both fit into the roles well. Granted, they both became beloved, too, but at first they weren’t a reason to watch the show.

The main reason to watch the show, for me and others no doubt, was the incomparable Ron Swanson. Leslie might have been the main character of Parks and Rec, the other characters might have been the glue to keep the show together. None of that would have mattered without Ron. Put simply, Ron is Parks and Rec. Similar to Dwight, he represents everything the show stands for. There’s a reason that those two characters transcended to become memes and pop culture icons.

Other characters came and went as they do. The show continued being good and improved with each episode. I enjoyed the show so much that I branched off into another showbecause Hulu also recommended that one. I actually liked that show, Outsourced, better than Parks and Rec at first. I was clearly in the minority since it only lasted one season. Oh well, I guess I got my dad’s (I picked Betamax over VHS) talent when it comes to picking winners.

My collision course with this final season of Parks and Recreation marched onward to inevitability. Little did I know that it would happen so soon and so suddenly. Even as I watched, I thought that it was weird that they kept flashing forward to tell part of the story. It was a cool story telling device, but I never made the connection that they were doing it because we were saying good-bye to these characters. I learned through a podcast or the radio that it was the final season and then it hit hard.

I went back to watch the first couple of episodes again. If they were stopping the show, then I wanted to be able to experience the end with my undivided attention. I’m glad that I did. Each episodefocused on one character and what happened to them after the show ended. True to form, it treated all of the characters with respect and gave them all proper send offs. I don’t think that I disagreed with a single ending for any of the characters. I was wrong when they got closer and finally revealed Leslie’s, which is odd because I’m usually able to follow the clues better than that. Nevertheless, the episode was great and all of the others were, too. That’s also strange for me because I’m usually difficult to please when it comes to endings. The best of them was Ron and I was just waiting for them to screw that one up, but they didn’t.

All in all, I guess I could say that this was one of my favorite shows. I didn’t aggressively watch it like Breaking Bad. I didn’t look forward to it like Walking Dead. I didn’t share it with Christine as I’ve done with many other shows. But, I did watch it and I watched it consistently and I watched it to the end. Not only did I watch it to the end, but I enjoyed that ending more than anticipated or expected. It might not have been a great show, but it was a very good show. It was always very good and that consistency is rare to find. Thank you so much for the years of entertainment, Parks and Recreation. Television is so much worse in your absence.

On the Tabletop

Dice, Dice Baby

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(Editor’s Note: Depending on the demographics of our audience, that might be a severely bad reference. Either way, it’s a bit of a stretch, I admit.)

I went to Wal*Mart a couple of days ago. By itself, that isn’t newsworthy. I go to Wal*Mart several times a week. Sometimes I go there twice or three times in the same day. In fact, I think that I’ve been to “Big Blue” at least once a day for the past week. The trips aren’t usually worth mentioning. During this trip, I checked their game aisle. Again, not really out of the ordinary. I check the aisle almost every time I’m there, even though it rarely changes in any significant way. However, I went there for Aiden and Quinn, who had $10 each of birthday money burning a hole in their pockets. Aiden wanted Pokemon cards and Quinn wanted a Pokeball with a miniature Pokemon. I found both things, but initially nothing for me. I had just bought 15 packs of Magic a couple of days earlier, so you can argue that I didn’t need anything. Then again, does anyone ever “need” more collectibles?

The previous paragraph brought to you by Wal*Mart. I wish. I hate the place, but I'm not above taking their money. *hint, hint*
The previous paragraph brought to you by Wal*Mart. I wish. I hate the place, but I’m not above taking their money. *hint, hint*

So, why am I wasting your time with this story about my trip to Wal*Mart? You must be new here. In that case, welcome! (If not, skip to the next paragraph.) I hope you enjoy the page and podcast. I do things a bit less conventionally than other gaming sites. I wander off on tangents. I abuse parenthetical phrases. Luckily, I often warn you when I lose focus and I (almost) always wind up back on topic eventually.

Oh, what’s this? I notice that Wal*Mart now carries Dice Masters. I’ve heard of the game through my research into Heroclix. Also, for some reason, I am in a Dice Masters community on Google+. Yeah, I know, but I don’t have a phone and it lets me text using my tablet. I never considered the game–not seriously, at least–until Free Comic Book Day.

The actual day turned out to be less about free comics and more about riding bikes, but that’s okay. The best days are often those that do go according to plan. We eventually made it to the store for the books, but it was too late and there wasn’t much of a selection. As he often does, since he is under the impression that money is limitless, Aiden asked me to buy him everything from new Pokemon cards to a keychain for keys that he doesn’t own. While dodging his persistent demands, I saw that the store offered Dice Masters.

“That’s a fun game”. The store owner offered. Unsure whether he meant it or was just trying to make a sale, I forced a nod, pretended to admire the packaging a little longer, and escaped with my uninspiring free comics and unmolested wallet. That’s how I learned about Dice Masters.

You never know when or how an addiction will start.
You never know when or how an addiction will start.

The story does not end there, loyal readers! Oh, no! As I have said, our main mission at 2 Guys Gaming is to make games fun. Part of that fun is discovering new games. Another part of that fun, for me, is playing those new games with my sons. You can, of course, see where this incredibly obvious plot twist is taking us. Please, though, no spoilers. Allow this frustrated story teller a moment of intrigue and surprise.

The shop owner’s comment stayed with me. I mentioned it to Chris, who showed some interest in playing. I put the game on our tentative schedule for discussion on the podcast later in the year. I let the comment “That’s a fun game” marinate in my brain stew until it reached the proper level of roasted succulence. Well, now, that was a weird metaphor. I must be hungry.

No matter how I ended up in the gaming aisle at the local Wal*Mart looking at the Dice Masters and thinking back on my brief history with the game, there I was. It didn’t take long to make the decision to get the Avengers v. X-Men Starter Pack. They also had the DC Justice League Starter, but I am an unabashed Marvel zombie.

Avengers vs. X-Men Starter Pack contents.
Avengers vs. X-Men Starter Pack contents.

I brought the boys home their spoils. Aiden immediately broke open his packs and they have gotten him back into the Pokemon mood. We played two games this afternoon and he kicked my butt severely. I got away from my comfort zone of darkness and psychic type and tried to build a fighting and water deck. Unfortunately, Quinn got a hold of my deck and the Blastoise EX never made it back. The replacement EX got buried in my prize cards and he handled my Pokemon pretty well with one of his. After I KO’d his first Pokemon, he used a great strategy to get a strong one off of his bench to destroy me.

Quinn, since he is 4, absolutely loved his Pokeball and Pokemon. I found the other figures that they previously owned and he played with them for a day or two. It now sits forgotten somewhere in the house. Sad and lonely, it waits to be played again. Hopefully, Quinn finds it before something drastic happens. I will spare you the dark depths of my mind and tales of toy suicide. Just pray with me for the poor Dusk Ball. It has a family (possibly) and friends (presumably) that love and care about it.

It *is* a Dusk Ball, so it is pretty emo to begin with.
It *is* a Dusk Ball, so it is pretty emo to begin with.

Well, despite my better intentions, that got dark. Let’s get back to having fun. After giving them their stuff, I sat at the dining room table to learn the game. Christine made fun of me for playing with myself. That one is for you, perverts. I wanted to make sure that I understood the game before trying to teach the boys.

The starter set rule book illustrated a very helpful tutorial game. I played through that solo and got a much better grasp of the game than I have even for Heroclix after playing a full game. That might have more to do with Heroclix being a more complex game, but it was nice to have the tutorial as an introduction. They also wrote a more complication explanation of a turn, but I didn’t read that. I don’t have infinite time. The tutorial is more than enough to learn the basics of the game and it is not nearly as complex as Magic or Heroclix. There is still strategy and decision making, but it is an easy game to pick up and play right away. I taught both of the boys how to play in less than a half an hour total.

They both took to the game like a fish in water. Is that even a saying? Probably not, but they did love the game. We had plans for Memorial Day weekend with the in-laws and they asked to bring the game to the cookout. We played many more games over the next few days. It has gotten busy with school, Tae Kwon Do, field trips, and soccer, so we haven’t played much recently.

...and the Justice League contents. Batman is off fighting crime somewhere in Gotham.
…and the Justice League contents. Batman is off fighting crime somewhere in Gotham.

Even so, I ended up buying the Justice League starter set, too. While the one starter offers a wide variety of teams and games possible, I also wanted to play as Batman and maybe Superman. Little did I know that Aiden would discover Deathstroke as one of the most OP characters we’ve played. I want to keep expanding into other sets and buy more dice for the sets that we have. While each game has been different due to the variety, you can never have too many cards or dice. My wife, of course, would disagree, but I don’t take her advice in these matters.

The game is fun to play. It is easy to pick up and learn strategy as you play. My kids, especially Aiden, love it. Even with a limited collection (one starter set for around 15 dollars) the games are virtually limitless in their possibilities. Booster packs are cheaper than Magic or Heroclix. The game isn’t as collectible as those other games, but that’s a minor consideration. I would definitely recommend this game to any gamer who is looking to expand into something new, fun, and quick.

On the Tabletop

Small Superhero Slugfest

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(Editor’s Note: Sorry for being AWOL lately. End of the semester is always a busy time. You think that I’d learn from previous semesters and adjust. You’d be wrong.)

In my last article, I went through my, admittedly flawed and possibly crooked, thought process behind the team that I drafted in our first Heroclix game. Chris answered with one of his own, but he one upped me by giving a play by play of the actual game, too. I mentioned at the end of my last article that I might do the same. However, I am notorious for neglecting and ignoring deadlines. It is good, then, that Chris tossed the ball back to me. Otherwise, you might have been denied this highly entertaining and insightful commentary. No, really, I mean it this time.

When we last left our intrepid heroes, I picked Captain Marvel (100 points…really 150, but I either can’t read, can’t do math, or intentionally cheated. It isn’t entirely clear which of the three is true), Swamp Thing (200, 150, 100…that last one is perfect for a 100 point Captain Marvel), Recorder (35 points), Manphibian (60 points), and Dire Wraith (55 points). I knew nothing about Dire Wraith. I still don’t. I pretended that my decision was difficult. It wasn’t. Under the mistaken impression of a 100 point Captain Marvel, my team basically built itself. Spoiler Alert: Who the hell is Dire Wraith and why does he look so weird? Draft drafted, team chosen. Time for the action!

As I said, Chris included his version of what happened in the game. I’m glad for that because I only have a vague recollection of the events on the night in question. I’ve often heard about how unreliable eye witness testimony is, but never experienced it to such a degree. As soon as I got home, I thought about writing this article. I texted Chris the day after to tell him that I wished that I’d written down the important pieces from the draft and the game because I didn’t remember any of it. He saved my butt by giving me his draft order. That, along with his article, might just be enough so that I sound like I know what I’m talking about. No promises, though.

We had two maps as choices. I got one that came with my Avengers starter pack. Chris got two of the same map from one of his orders. I checked both maps to see if either had any water in the starting areas so that Manphibian could get a movement bonus. I know what you’re thinking. It’s not bad enough that I cheated when I put together the team. Now, I need to get even more of an advantage through terrain manipulation. Well Mr. (or Mrs., Miss., Ms, whatever) Judgmental, I will have you know that once I saw that there was no advantage, I graciously deferred to allow Chris to pick the map.

heroclix map
Similar map to the one that I brought.

He chose his map after we both agreed that the map that I brought would be awkward for our purposes. My map, as would be expected, centered on the Avengers. One side was Stark Tower and the other side was the Helicarrier similar to the one shown above. Neither of us wanted to consider what might happen if one of our characters got knocked off the side. Therefore, we found ourselves battling it out for superhero supremacy in Dr. Strange’s mansion. I’m glad that it wasn’t just some random mansion. I feel better about our heroes destroying the place.

heroclix map 2
The map that we used.

Heroes drafted? Check. Teams chosen? Check. Map selected? Check. Starting area and characters set up? Check. Now what? Time to figure out how the hell to play this game. Check the powers and abilities cards for each character and the reference sheet. Wow, some of these characters have a ton of abilities. This is how far they can move. That is their hit modifier. This is their range. Okay, got it. Go.

Chris wins the die roll. I think that he jokes that it will be “the last thing I win” or “I’ve got to win something in this game”. If only he knew how accurate that statement would turn out to be. He started by moving his characters to the entrance of the mansion. I saw this as an opportunity to get my tanky character in the middle to muck things up. I also took Chris a bit by surprise by applying actual strategy. While Man Thing kept a couple of his characters busy on the stairs, I sent the others to flank him on either side.

Wait, what did Chris just say? He asked about some color. I check the dial for one of my characters. Each number is a color. Oh, that’s why there are so many powers listed. Each power corresponds to a color and a symbol. Now I got it? Not completely, but enough to get through this game and familiarize myself more later.

His first character died very quickly. After that, it became a war of attrition with our guys trading hits back and forth while my guy (Manphibian) kept missing Spider-Girl. I finally got smart and broke off one prong of my attack by moving Recorder into a support role first in the middle. He did nothing to break that stalemate, so I sent him to help Manphibian, who continued to suffer from my terrible luck and couldn’t hit sand if he fell off a camel. Dr. Druid actually got stronger as he clicked down, so he broke through and KO’d Captain Marvel.

sand
Manphibian missed every single one of the millions of grains and broke his leg falling off.

That actually allowed me to stop messing around. I moved Man Thing into melee range and just started pounding face. He also has some kind of poison aura that caused extra damage. After finishing off Dr. Druid, he joined the fracas with Recorder and Manphibian. Overwhelmed, the rest of his team (it might have just been Spider-GIrl at this point) eventually got KO’d.

I enjoyed the game. I always like the draft strategy in games even though I don’t get to implement it very often against other people. I do a draft a week in Magic Online, but that’s about it. I have been thinking about going to one of the local stores for their FNM draft, too. Sorry about that. This article isn’t about Magic. It’s just that Magic is the only reference that i have right now to compare table top games. Back to the topic. I like that you have to make up the strategy for your deck or team based on the characters or cards available from the packs rather than getting to choose from everything in your collection. It forces you to focus.

As for the game itself, I enjoyed playing it. Even though neither Chris nor I implemented much of a strategy in our game, Heroclix obviously offers a much different set than Magic. The map, movement of characters, powers that may change as the dial is clicked, and the randomness of the dice all lead to an ever evolving strategy during the game. Look, I’m an a noob and all, but I know that each game of Magic offers multiple lines of play and that you have to adjust based on changing conditions. In the end, though, it is still just cards fighting cards. Don’t get me wrong. I still love Magic and will continue to play it, but I’m also enjoying the variety of the new games. (Side note: My sons and I have been playing a ridiculous amount of Dice Masters lately. More on that next week.) We started the web page and podcast to bring fun back to games. We’ve been successful with that. As sometimes happens with these ventures, there are unintended consequences. One of those is the introduction of these new games. The other is that I have gotten to share all of these games with my kids. So far, they’ve liked Marvel vs. Capcom and Dice Masters the best. We tried Heroclix when they were younger, but the game was too fragile and complex for them at that age. Maybe its time to try again.

On the Tabletop

Mini Marvel Maulers

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(Editor’s Note: Join the Noobas he defiles yet another strategic game with his own special brand of ignorance.)

We recorded Episode 6 of the podcast this past weekend. We also tried to record some videos of Heroclix openings. I got a new computer, so the videos aren’t of the best quality and we will try again next month. It also took us a few tries to figure out how the microphone interacted with the new PC and I’m not sure we completely did. If the audio is bad this month, I apologize. Bear with us as we iron out all of these wrinkles. I can’t keep using that excuse indefinitely, but I’ll take any slack you offer. We’re not professionals, after all, just 2 guys gaming.

Speaking of gaming (how about that segue), we took a break from Magic to play some Heroclix. One of us suggested the game as both a topic for the show and to offer some variety during our monthly game nights. It served both purposes well. Due to time restrictions, we only got to play one game. Still, I can say with confidence that it was the first game of many. Personally, I can’t wait to play again.

gotgspidey

We decided to initiate ourselves into the world of Heroclix with a booster draft. I brought my Guardians of the Galaxy pack that my four year old pried open, already putting Chris in a suspicious mood. This mood will pay off with actual shenanigans on my part, so stay tuned. Chris provided one from the Amazing Spider-Man series. On first glance, none of the characters in my pack looked terribly impressive. I should probably mention that I have been very busy with finals at school lately and have not been able to research the game at all. Even so, the characters in the other box looked way cooler. I think that it was mostly just Man Thing that had me all hot and bothered…no comments, perverts. As I found out, he is a bad ass, but I had no way of knowing that. Hell, while we played, I checked all of their abilities on the chart every single turn. The model just looked amazing and boy, was that Man Thing big….okay, I’m done.

Now, on to the draft. I will give the picks that Chris made each round after my picks and admittedly ignorant analysis. Maybe Chris can give his thought process in another article. *hint, hint* A final warning: Seeing as how neither of us ever played the game before, we probably did not adhere to time limits during the draft process. No one pick ever took longer than a few minutes. Still, we gave one another ample time to consider each choice. As with most of our gaming, we just took a more casual approach.

cmPack 1, Pick 1: My pack consisted of Captain Marvel (the Carol Danvers version), Crystal, Recorder, Deathurge, and Dire Wraith. This pick was easy. I took the most expensive–and strongest, I hoped–character. She took up so many points, but I figured she’d be worth it. Chris took Dr. Druid, a solid first pick.

Pack 2, Pick 1: Chris passed me Man-Thing, Werewolf, Spider-Girl, and Manphibian. mtI briefly considered Werewolf and Manphibian, but ultimately picked Man-Thing. He is just too strong. Plus, he has the flexibility of multiple point values. (I need to mention now that, at the time, I mistakenly read Captain Marvel as 100, not 150 points. Yes, a math teacher who can’t do math. ‘Merica! My team was illegal for a 300 point game. Dang. I tried so hard to put together the best team given the quota. All for naught.) Chris, not a cheater, picked Crystal.

recorderPack 1, Pick 2: After picking what I considered to be the core of my team, I started looking for support. Of the three remaining, Recorder had the strongest ability in that capacity, as far as I can tell. Chris takes Werewolf. Had I not been a cheater, I’d probably have taken him instead of Man-Thing, but who knows.

manphPack 2, Pick 2: Left with Manphibian and Spider-Girl, I take the chance that we might play an outside map with water so that he will have a movement bonus. I consider Spider-Girl for her support power, but I take the chance. Chris takes Deathurge, who I now notice has a point value of 140. He might be actually be strong. I will have to look at him again.

dwLeftover: I pass Chris Spider-Girl and receive Dire Wraith. Before this game, I had no idea that it was even a thing. If I read Captain Marvel’s point value right, he’d have become an integral part of my team. You can all see and understand why I cheated now, right?

I will write another article for post on Friday that discusses my strategy in putting together my team. I will also talk about the game that we played in that article. Tonight and tomorrow are reserved for editing the podcast. Until then, Excelsior and best of luck in your Mini Marvel adventures!

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Free Comic Book Day 2015

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(Note: The first ones are free, Kid. After that, you gotta pay.)

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I’ve been under the impression that our family made Free Comic Book Day a tradition and that we’ve gone every year for the last couple of years. Now that I look at this picture of our first (and only recorded) visit, I realize that memory is, once again, the worst witness. That was at least two–and maybe even three–years ago. A visit to Facebook to check the time stamp confirms that we took a year off from the annual celebration of five finger discounts on the funny pages and I’m not sure why. It might have been birthday parties or something. It definitely was not the quality of comics. Those were actually very good and quite impressive for free.

We missed last year, as mentioned, but I put it on the calendar this year. I also reminded everyone for days leading up to the big event. Some of he story of how the actual day went are told in my previous post. If you can’t–or don’t want to–read the story right now, I’ll give the TL:DR version. We got stuck in parade traffic, got to the comic book store late, got our comics, and didn’t stay for anything else. I almost got suckered into buying a set of Dice Masters. Bound to happen eventually.

So, what about the books? I don’t know if it was just because we were late, but the selection seemed quite underwhelming this year. Maybe it is because I haven’t been collecting for at least a decade. I didn’t recognize many of the comics. The ones that I did know didn’t look that appealing. I mean, really, they’re doing Secret Wars again? Come on, have some originality. In the end, I got TMNT (to see if the hype is real), Divergence, and Secret Wars because I’m a fraud. The boys got Pokemon, Transformers, Sonic/Megaman, and Teen Titans/Scooby Doo. Truth be told, their comics look more interesting, so I’ll leave those for last.

divergenceFirst up is Divergence. This is some DC book that contains three separate stories about their most popular characters. I’m a little frustrated that they’re rebooting again, but it is also maybe a good idea. How much are comics now? $3 isn’t bad. I’m intrigued. Wait, they killed Batman? And Joker? What the hell is this? I agree with Gordon. This is dumb. A reboot is good because it gives a good place to get back in, but will I? The next story is about Superman. The first thing that I notice is that JRJR is now with DC. That seems odd. Lois gave up his secret identity? Maybe I do want to check this out. The Wonder Woman story is also good and I actually write Chris that I’m considering a return to the comic book store. If only the Marvel books are as good.

secret warsYeah, about that. They are not. Secret Wars is terrible. Ultimate End is awful. Inhumans is ridiculously inane. These are all previews and none of them make me want to buy the actual book. In what universe do we live that I’m more interested in DC books than Marvel? Clearly Marvel has given up on comics and prefers to exist in movies and television.

tmntThat brings us to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Both Chris and I had strong things to say about Donatello being killed off in a recent story line, but this is actually a pretty good book right now. The only name that I recognize is Eastman, but that might actually be a good thing. I still think that it could have been done without killing Donatello. Still, I might pick up some of the trades to catch up on the story.

POK_201502FCBD2015SolicitationCover.inddNow, onto the books that the boys picked up. Liam read Pokemon as soon as we got back in the car. He called it weird and said that it didn’t follow the main story. It is one of the comics that reads backwards, but I don’t think that’s what he meant by weird. Many of the Pokemon comics are like that. I suspect that he meant the same thing with both statements. I haven’t read it yet, but I trust his judgement.

transformersThe Transformers comic is a full story one similar to the DC books that I read and they illustrate just how old I am. I only recognize Bumblebee, but I suppose that many of the characters are from the Transformers Prime. I’ve always meant to watch the show. Maybe this will be the introduction and reason that I need to start. There is also an interesting little introduction to Transformers vs. GI Joe. The book isn’t bad, but it’s definitely a kid book.

sonicBoth the Sonic/Megaman and Scooby-Doo/Teen Titans books follow the same format as the Transformers. They are full story introductions into the new stories that are coming during the summer. One thing that I notice is that there are multiple Sonic titles. They also blatantly plug a new video game, which is to be expected, I suppose. Megaman is much darker and more intense. Seems like it might be better for older kids and I’m somewhat interested to see how the comics and worlds will cross over. Finally, Scooby-Doo is much more like the older TV show that I remember than some of the more recent TV shows have been. That’s a good thing. I couldn’t even do Teen Titans. There was far too much happening in that book, color and insanity wise for my old brain.

scoobyIn closing, other than TMNT the adult books were disappointing. DC was better than Marvel, but that’s not saying much because Marvel were awful. The kid books were all full story, mostly decent, fun, and more interesting than the adult ones. I doubt that I’d enjoy any of them as a month to month. There is some glimmer of hope. They are doing what Chris and I thought they should do and trying to hook young fans into comic books. I don’t know how successful, but both boys have asked to read some of my old books. I also asked them if they wanted to start collecting comics and they both said yes. Once again, they failed to hook me enough to get me to start collecting, but I might invest in trades of TMNT, at least, so that’s something. Also, definitely going to sign up for Marvel Unlimited because they have another free month trial. I’m not fully back and I might never be. However, I’m at least partly still in, so there’s hope for us old guys, too.

On the Tabletop

My Case for Proxies

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(Editor’s Note: TLDR: Don’t counterfeit Magic cards, but proxies definitely have a place in the community.)

We went to our “usual” place on Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. I put usual in quotes because this has only be a tradition for two years running but we have gone to the same place both times. After getting our comics last time (we were the dorks in line before the place opened), we watched some of the parade. If you know Northampton, then you know what kind of parade. If you don’t know Northampton, then I will just say that there were many rainbows and the mood was quite festive.

Happy people parading!
Happy people parading!

An article about Free Comic Book Day is coming tomorrow. I justwanted to set the stage. Bear with me just a little longer. You have to admit that this exposition makes for a better story. Now, back to that story.

I noticed during one of my morning commutes that the sign on the highway warned of potential traffic because of a parade scheduled again on the same Saturday as Free Comic Book Day. I filed the notice away, mentioned it to Christine because she’s usually better at remembering these things than me, and proceeded to hype myself up for a weekend of not seeing the Avengers, but making up for it with free comic books and Lego sets for the boys. Perfect nerdy guy weekend on the week before Mother’s Day. I also suggested the idea to ride bikes, and we had a party to attend, so Christine would not feel left out completely.

It’s a good thing that bike riding came up as Plan B. Not that I forgot about the parade, but I tried to circumvent the warning and the traffic. I failed spectacularly on both fronts and we ended up on quite the detour through downtown Northampton in search of a parking spot during one of the busiest days of the year. We never found that spot and decided to ride bikes instead. As we pulled into the parking lot for one of our new favorite trails, someone pulled out of their spot. I glibly remarked that it was meant to be. While the rest of the family went to the bathroom and otherwise got ready, I used the time to see if another, more accessible, store was offering the free books. Nothing materialized from the Google search, but I did find a link for Worlds Apart, a gaming store in Amherst.

I’d seen the store but never went in. Intrigued as to why Gogole wanted to send me to a store without comics (as far as I know) for Free Comic Book Day, I clicked the link. No comics as I suspected, but several other ideas grabbed my attention. After the bike ride and finally getting to the store for our comics, we came back home. I did more research into the store. What I found blew me away.

Drafts on Monday and Saturday, Modern on Thursday, EDH on Wednesday, Standard on the other days. What caught my attention the most and convinced me that this might be my new favorite store was their Tuesday event. They offer unlimited proxy Legacy. Chris and I play Legacy. Well, I think that it is technically more Modern, though we place no actual restrictions on card use other than trying to limit the damage on our bank accounts. Legacy or Modern, proxies open a whole new realm of possibilities at a reduced cost.

I got so excited by the news that I wrote to Chris first and then posted to the Magic group on Facebook. I got several responses. As I hoped, many of them expressed support and I got more excited by the prospects. Chris inquired more into the nature of proxies. He found a page that lets you print proxies. It is the same page that I’ve used in the past.

Perhaps it is time for disclosure. I have used proxies for Magic. I have not bought nor sold them under any pretense, but I have created my own. I made proxies for Liam’s and Aiden’s commanders because I didn’t want to pay the prices that people wanted for those cards. I’ve been trying to convince Chris to use them over the last few months, but he has resisted. After our conversation in which we agreed that it might be worth the investment to get a printer, he realized the potential savings. We excitedly discussed creating no limit Legacy Decks and I suggested Vintage because why not? He sent me a picture of his first creation, a Black Lotus and I almost fainted from the image. He then printed a Mox Sapphire and finally a full Vintage deck. I’m still in the process of narrowing down 20 years of Magic into a workable 60 card deck plus 15 card sideboard.

This also gives me and Chris the chance to try out of the ordinary (or completely net decked) standard decks without having to pay a penny. Our group nearly expanded to feature more players but it is still just the two of us. Spare me the Will Smith, please. Oh, all right, but I insist on the Austin Powers version.

I will still buy my usual box and fat pack for each set to support the game. I have also been thinking about dipping my toe into the competitive scene (which often frown upon proxies for obvious reasons), so I will need to fill in cards for those decks. Those purchases will be a drop in the bucket, though, and proxies will result in massive savings.

Additionally, the no limit on proxies in the Legacy weekly at the store is a good starting point to see if I have the chops to compete with other players besides just Chris. I am also planning to join some drafts at another store now that school is out, so that will be another relatively cheap way to test my skills against other people. However, the most tempting is definitely Legacy with no limit on proxies. You can make a deck for free. There’s no initial investment other than the entry fee and that is minimal when compared with the price of the cards required to build some of these decks.

I am, by no means suggesting that you buy or sell counterfeit Magic cards. However, some formats of Magic shut out a large percentage of the player base due to the sheer cost of entry. This might seem like a good thing and it might even be a good thing, but I argue that it is not. Sure, you want to have gated content in your games, but they should be skill gates. I might not be the best Vintage player in the world (in fact, I’d argue that I’m not even close), but I won’t even get a chance to prove that I’m not because I refuse to spend upwards of $10,000+ on pieces of cardboard. It feels like the worst case of pay to win I’ve ever seen in any game. Sure, some tournaments offer 10 or 15 proxies, but why not have more unlimited proxy events at local stores? It would pull more players into the game, give new players who weren’t lucky (because, really, that’s all it is) enough to have played when these powerful cards were released a chance to play the cards, and improve the experience overall. All a pipe dream, I’m sure, but one worth dreaming.

Digital Playground

Button Mashers Beget Button Mashers

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(Editor’s Note: Apologies again for our silence this week. I’ve been dealing with end of semester stuff. Hopefully I can maintain the schedule of posting twice over the next two weeks. If not, I’ll definitely be back when finals are over.)

My family took me to a local arcade (yes, they still exist!) for my birthday this year. It might be more accurate if I saythe local arcade since I believe it is the only one close enough to be called local. We do have a Chuck E. Cheese, but the arcade there is secondary. You mostly go there for the mediocre (really, terrible) pizza. Wait, why does anyone go there? A question for another time, perhaps.

The trip took me back to the years of my youth misspent in arcades from Erie, Pennsylvania to Silver Springs, Maryland. I got 2 hours to play Tetris, Dig, Dug, Rampage, NBA Jam, The Simpsons, Centipede, any many others. Sadly, no Q*Bert or Pac-Man and the Mrs. Pac-Man machine was out of order. Also no Mario Brothers and the only Neo Geo games were Bubble Bobble and Bust a Move. Aside from the more modern games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, those were the old school games that I played in the arcade and at home. Still, I had so much fun and it is one of the best birthday presents ever.

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Button mashers in training

During one of my breaks to watch TMNT (They showed it on the big screen, but with no sound. That’s my only complaint, even if understandable.) and eat free fries (part of a Groupon deal), I noticed Liam and Aiden playing together on a machine and having a ton of fun. I went over to see what brought them such joy. It was one of those Street Fighter clones, but one that I’d never played nor even seen. This is noteworthy because I thought that I’d played them all. At the least, I was sure that I’d played the ones that featured Ryu as a character. I noticed he was on the roster during one of their character selections.

Now, it is bugging me again that I never knew the game existed and I forgot to write down the name of the game. I need to figure this out. Bear with me. Enjoy the musical stylings of Nick Winters while you wait.

Okay, I’m back! Google is a wonderful thing. Whether you need to find the name of a never before seen 2D fighter or directions to the Rhode Island Convention Center for an underwhelming trip to wach the SCG Open event, Google has you covered. Sure, they’ll catalog your search results, sell your personal information and data, and then use that money to lobby Washington DC for less strict anti-trust laws. That’s all a small price to pay for all that convenience.

Once they finished playing and it was time to go, I asked the natural question, hoping for a particular response. They looked like they had fun, but I wanted to be sure. “Did you like it?” I asked. They both said, “Yes, it was fun!”

Woo hoo!

It started with board games, branched out into Heroclix, Pokemon, and Magic, and now extended into 2D fighting games. My kids share many of my gaming interests and I’m thrilled by the prospects. In fact, they enjoyed the game so much that they didn’t want to leave. While I’m not entirely sure how they kept track, we only had technically two hours to play and our time was over. No tears were shed, but they definitely expressed their disappointment.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the game they were playing:

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Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

I remembered that Chris gave me a copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. This led me to download the second game on XBox Live. I mentioned to the boys that I owned a similar game to soften the blow. Naturally, my intent was to play the game with them. However, as happens (and happened too often this winter), the gamegot lost in the shuffle and forgotten for several months.

I don’t remember exactly how or why the game came up in conversation again. I think that it was just luck. We were sitting in the living room, Aiden had finished playing some ‘Splosion Man, and was getting ready to turn off the XBox. I grabbed the other controller to load up Marvel vs. Capcom 2. He got so excited when he heard the music and saw all the characters that were available. Neither he nor I understood the intricacies of the game, so we were on mostly level ground in that regard. I did have the advantage of knowing some of the special moves. That advantage disappeared quickly, though.

I’m not sure that he knew the exact moves. Then again, I’m not sure that he didn’t, either. He pulled them off with such frequency and skill that he might have stumbled onto something by mistake. Either way, he beat me legitimately more than once. I’m not proud of it, but it did happen. As someone who pretends to be a reporter on the internets, it is my duty to report news when it happens.

Breaking! 8-year old beats his father! Click herefor the rest of the story.

Hey, maybe I’m not just pretending to be a reporter. I seem to have learned the basics of web journalism already. I can generate click bait. What do you mean journalistic integrity? See, I’m a natural!

We moved on to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Excited by the fact that, even though it takes them a while, Capcom can count to three, I assumed that meant that they also improved their games with each successive sequel. Sure, I knew that they often didn’t necessarily improve when they released the in between expansions for each game, but they had to make the sequels better, right? I excitedly told Aiden that they made the graphics better and added new characters. Sadly, only one of those was true. There were actually less characters and they didn’t even necessarily pick the good ones to include in the game.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 2
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Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Of course, the game featured all of the familiar faces from both Capcom and Marvel. Ryu, Sagat, Ken, Spidey, and Hulk all made the cut. So did some secondary characters like Dormammu, Moon Knight, the Darkstalkers girls, and the guy from Ghosts and Goblins. Deadpool and X-23 were added with a few others, but Zangief is gone. Probably the most egregious omission is the mummy guy from Darkstalkers. I accidentally discovered this move that turns the oppponent into this tiny zombie looking robot thing. Aiden and I laughed hysterically any time that I managed to land the attack. That’s what games are all about. Finding a move in a fighting game that makes both you and your 8-year old son giggle in the same way and spam it to no end.

Another strike against the third game is that Christine found the case. She asked, “Is this appropriate for them to play?” I asked what she meant and that I played it with Aiden and saw no problems. She replied, “It’s rated T.” I rolled my eyes. “Probably for cartoon violence or something.” To be honest, I never checked the ratings and felt a bit embarrassed by that. When I checked, I was flabbergasted. Partial nudity and sexual themes? WTF? I’m not sure that I played that game. I did a little research and I guess that it is due to the Darkstalkers ladies and Deadpool says a few potentially offensive things. I think that they were a bit heavy handed with the rating, but I can see their point. Some parents and children might be more sensitive to these issues.

All things considered, the second game seems like the obvious choice. No Deadpool and there are the ridiculously sexist costumes for some characters mentioned above, but they are overshadowed by the sheer number of other characters and easily avoided. I would give the game a try yourself first to see if that is something that you don’t find too offensive. If you find that it is okay for you and your kids, then get your kids to fight with each other and not worry about the destruction of property as a result.

…in a fighting game. Continue reading

On the Tabletop

Dudes Playing Magic

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(Editor’s Note: Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, as they say.)

I have expressed my admiration for the Star City Games stream on the page more than once. Some of the play leaves a bit to be desired and can be painful to watch, especially in the early rounds. To be honest, all around the play is pretty loose and might frustrate you for one reason or another. Notice that I said that I admire the coverage. When I want to watch great gameplay, I watch the official Magic channel. Though it’s getting better, their PT and GP still lags behind SCG. Therefore, when I am in the mood to just watch Magic and be entertained, as I usually am, I tune into the SCG broadcast.

During the many streams I watched, I saw several advertisements for shows that were going to happen locally. There was one in Worcester and one in Providence. I eventually succumbed to the pressure of advertising. Okay, okay, as soon as I learned of them, I put the events on the calendar. Since our family has the habit of committing to things and then deciding last minute that we’d rather sit around our house in PJs, I needed something to solidify the commitment and force me to follow through.

Luckily, the Providence event was scheduled for only a few weeks after the release of Dragons of Tarkir. For the last three sets, I wanted to order an intro set from SCG. I think that’s what they call it. It is a booster box, a fat pack, and one each of the intro decks. I always buy a booster box and fat pack for each set, so it is a good deal for me. But, I’ve never had the money to get one before they sold out. This time, I finally did. I took all of this as a sign that it was meant to be. I put in the order, chose pick up in Providence, and jumped on the hype train.

Choo, choo!

The Dragons of Tarkir release was still two weeks away and the event about a month after that. It gave me plenty of time to psych myself up. Being the good marketers that they are, the fine people of SCG helped. They kept advertising the events. During one of these ads, the commentators went on about how Magic events were becoming more like conventions.

Chugga, chugga!

The weeks passed. Chris ordered and received the singles for his decks. I started to regret my decision to pick up the cards instead of delivery. Christine reminded me that the scout camping trip was that same weekend. The regret deepened because now there was real possibility that I would not even be able to go. Life and literature are nothing without conflict, and we have a doozy one on our hands, dear readers.

*sounds of the hype train derailing*

Those of you who follow us on Twitter already know the outcome, but don’t spoil it for the rest of us. Up until now, the story has lacked something. Now, though, it’s riveting and I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next and how (er, if) I make it to Rhode Island. Okay, let’s get this train rolling again.

*chuff, chuff*

*whoo, whoo*

I came up with the plan to only stay one night at camping and come home late on Saturday. That left Sunday free to go to Providence. It meant a ton of driving on top of the usual insane amount of driving I do during the week, but I’m a survivor. I will persevere. Even so, true to our reputation, I started to waffle before the weekend in question. Luckily, the boys kept me honest on camping and the cards did the same for my plans on Sunday.

I’m glad that we went camping. I was able to get some articles written, go on a hike, fish with both Liam and Aiden, play some cut throat Uno, watch an epic game of capture the flag, and just relax in general. The trip helped to put me in the right frame of mind for the drive to Rhode Island.

I woke up Sunday morning early and ready to go. I loaded some of my favorite podcasts on to my tablet, made a breakfast of champions, took a shower (this is an important step from what I’ve heard), hopped into the van, fired up the GPS, and drove. As an aside, can I just say how much I like GPS. I would have loved to have been a part of the programming teams. Well, I’d have rather been exploring all of the places to help build the maps and take pictures. Either way, it speaks very loudly to my explorer spirit and they did a great job. It has gotten to the point that it is almost foolproof.

Okay, here it is. The moment that I’ve been anticipating for over a month. I’m pulling into the garage. Oh, crap, there’s a parking fee. Not entirely unexpected (it was an expense that I hadn’t considered), but a bit of a disappointment. Part of the reason for travelling was to save on shipping. With this expense plus gas, I’m pretty sure that plan has gone out the window. Oh well. There’s one reason that I am a mathematician and not an economist.

I’m in the garage, parked, and on my way to the event. This is a big place. How will I find it? Oh, good, there’s an information desk. I’ll ask him. No, never mind, I found it. I’ll just follow all the guys wearing hoodies and back packs. Up the escalator, take a right, stop to read the rules and guidelines, and finally, I am here.

And…it’s just a bunch of dudes playing Magic. Well, that’s also disappointing. I’m not sure what I expected. No, that’s not true. I know exactly what I expected. The comments from the SCG crew stuck with me that these things are becoming more and more like conventions. I’ve been to several conventions, both big and small. All of them have been much more than just dudes playing Magic. Damn. Oh well, I’m here. Might as well make the best of it.

I check out the feature table. Hey, that’s Jim Davis! (Not the Garfield guy, that would be too cool for words.) Let’s see what he’s playing. Oh, Andrew Boswell is here, too. He went undefeated yesterday. Okay, so it’s dudes playing Magic, but these are dudes that are pretty damn good at playing Magic. That makes it less disappointing. I can come back to this. I have a bunch of cards to pick up. Also, where are Patrick and Cedric?

I got to the place that looks like a place to pick up cards. No, those guys are buying. No, these guys are selling. Oh, customer service. I travel back over there. They point me to the guys buying, who point me to the guys selling. I finally grab my product and go back to the feature tables. Jim Davis is till there. Boswell is still there. Some guy with what looks like Jeskai aggro sleeved in pink is destroying his opponent. No sign of Fabiano. (I later learn that he was playing in the Modern side tournament.)

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Well, let’s see some of what is in this box. I I find an empty seat at a table and crack open the box. So…many…cards. Oh, hey, look over there. That’s Patrick and Cedric! I open the intro packs and the boosters inside. Nothing too noteworthy in the packs, but I did get a Dragonlord Dromoka and Dromoka’s Command. I resist opening the booster box and fat pack because I’m saving them for a video.

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To bolster my restraint, I go back to watch more of the feature matches, but I’m more or less done. Damn. 3 hours driving for about 2 hours of watching dudes playing Magic. Yep, definitely not an economist. Oh well, lesson learned. If I do go to Worcester, go as a competitor. The only problem is that the main event in Worcester is Legacy. While Chris and I are Legacy players (technically, I’m mostly Modern), I don’t have a single competitive Legacy deck. There is a standard side event, though, and I have a couple of standard decks that could to some damage with a tweak here or there. Oh, what’s that I hear? Is that the hype train warming up again?

All aboard!

On the Tabletop

Mini Marvel Masters

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(Editor’s Note: ‘Hulk Smash puny….wait, what this? ‘Hulk puny!)

Our other major topic of this weekend’s episode of the podcast was Heroclix. ‘Bear in mind that Chris hasn’t played a game and I’ve only (basically solo) played against a very young Aiden. ‘The segment is more about our reasons that the game interests us and this article will follow suit. ‘We will play some Heroclix (both constructed and sealed, if those are the same official designations) and return in a couple of months with our thoughts on the actual game.

I learned about the game thanks to Aiden. ‘Having kids really brought out the kid in me in a big way. ‘Liam’s discovery of (and subsequent obsession with) Pokemon got me back into Magic, gave Chris and I another outlet for our monthly “nerd nights” and ultimately led to the podcast and web site. ‘Aiden is younger than LIam by about two years. ‘As a result, he was unable to play Pokemon until recently when he learned to read. ‘He’s still not as interested in the game as Liam, but he will play. ‘Therefore, a couple of years ago, when we were in a local game store and Liam bought a new Pokemon deck, Aiden wanted something, too. ‘I steered him away from Pokemon and found the Heroclix. ‘I thought they were just miniature action figures and he really liked super heroes. ‘I never suspected the complexity of the game associated with these tiny guys.

Ostensibly marketed as a game for kids, it had a comprehensive rule book. ‘Thankfully, it also came with a quick start guide because I wanted to try the game. ‘Aiden still couldn’t grasp a majority of the rules, but he liked picking his team, moving the pieces, and pretending to battle. ‘ I liked being able to take control of my favorite comic book characters, using their powers, and the minor bit of strategy involved.

Heroclix appeals to a wide range. ‘When Chris and I started the podcast, I knew that we would have to be more than just Magic, fighting games, and Gears of War, so I started researching other games to cover. ‘I didn’t know how he’d respond to Heroclix, with its reputation as a kiddie game, so I initially looked into Warhammer and Hordes as options.

I had seen both games played at some prereleases that I attended. ‘I also have a friend who at least collects the figures, so they seemed like a more natural choice as an adult game. ‘I did some research. ‘Most gamers agreed that Hordes was the better game. ‘That might just be my hipster confirmation bias that everything popular is lame. ‘Nevertheless, I found a PDF of the rule book (because I’m cheap and the book is $70) and started reading the rules. ‘The game interested me since it shared fantasy elements with some of my other favorite games, most notably D&D and WoW. ‘I researched more.

Boy, was I wrong about either game as a better choice than Heroclix. ‘Sure the games are intended for a more adult audience. ‘They are to Heroclix as Magic is to Hearthstone. ‘They are more complex in rules and interactions. ‘They are also more expensive. ‘Much more expensive in some cases. ‘I may invest in an army later, but those games are certainly not entry point.

We went back to Heroclix. ‘Both Chris and I experienced a lull in our Magic interest near the end of last year. ‘We planned to play Heroclix to combat that and for the purpose of adding variety to the podcast. ‘Then, as it does, life got in the way. ‘We weren’t able to meet, record, or game for several months. ‘After things calmed down, the podcast came back, and Heroclix grabbed our attention again.

I’ve purchased two booster packs (Incredible Hulk and Guardians of the Galaxy) and the Age of Ultron starter pack. ‘Look for break videos on the Hulk and Avengers sets. ‘I’m saving the Guardians for a draft that we have planned for our next get together. ‘While Heroclix might not contain the same complexity as Warhammer or Hordes, it is by no means an easy game. ‘The rules are quite complex and I understand that deeper strategy awaits than when I played a five year old Aiden. ‘I’m excited by the prospect s of playing a new game that is completely different from card games.

Don’t get me wrong. ‘I still enjoy cards and spend an absurd amount of money on the hobby. ‘My discovery of streams, Chris’s idea to branch off into standard, the seeming break neck pace of new sets, and the boys showing renewed interest have all led to me finding new joys in cards. ‘Heck, even taking a break to play the dead and buried World of Warcraft gave me new reasons to continue collecting and playing.

Even so, it is good to try new things. ‘Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. ‘I don’t know who they are, but I’m sure somebody says that. ‘Heck, I’m somebody and I just said it. ‘How’s that for circular logic?

The price for Heroclix is right. ‘While Hordes and Warhammer cost 70 to 100 dollars for a starter set, you can get a booster brick (essentially a case) for 40 dollars for at least one set. ‘The Age of Ultron was 37 for 6 model. ‘Per piece, that is more expensive than Hordes starter sets. ‘You have to consider that Heroclix models are already finished and that you have to buy paint and potentially books that go for 30?/50? dollars each. ‘Plus, I don’t know how competitive those starter decks armies are for the other games. ‘There is definitely one competitive piece in the Age of Ultron set and maybe one fringe piece, too. ‘Worth the investment.

The rules are intuitive and easy to learn. ‘Kids can easily pick up and play the game with the basic rules. ‘The full rule book offers more of a challenge. ‘the strategy differs significantly from cards and the variety will lead only to good things. ‘It gives me and Chris another game to play. ‘I can try again to play the game with my boys now that they are older and better able to handle some more strategy and complexity.

Stay tuned to the page for more on Heroclix as we learn the games, play a few rounds of various formats, and attempt to teach the kids. ‘If you’re like us and don’t know much about the game, please join us in our journey and learn. ‘If you’re more familiar with the game, feel free to leave comments, emails, and more advice and suggestions.

On the Tabletop

The Death of Wolverine, the Walking Dead, and the State of Comics

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(1st Editor’s Note: This is a repost from our now defunct Entertainment Compendium site.)

(2nd Editor’s Note: Spoiler Alert: Wolverine dies’.or he already died.)

Either way, you would think that the death of one of Marvel’s most popular characters would cause more of an uproar than I’ve seen. Granted, I’m not as involved in comics as I used to be, but through my various social media outlets I’m connected enough to know that giving Thor a sex change over the summer created quite a fuss. Heck, when Kirkman killed off Glenn in The Walking Dead (spoiler alert!) last year, people went nuts and were going to boycott pretty much everything. Why, then, does nobody seem to care that Wolverine is either going to die or already dead? I talked about this with Chris and his theory was that comic book (and soap opera, if that’s your thing) deaths rarely stick for very long and that they will most likely bring him back in a year or so. I have heard that theory mentioned elsewhere and admit that it holds some water. However, I think that there’s more to it than just comic death fatigue.

There are two reasons that I think this and they are essentially the same. I will first go back to a lesson from history, The Death of Superman. This story is now over 20 years old and has since been reversed at least twice, but at the time it was a huge deal. DC was killing one of the faces of their franchise and the symbol of truth, justice, and the American way. Comic fans counted down the issues until the big event, the news covered it like it was an actual celebrity death, and DC even followed up with a tribute called Funeral for a Friend. Everyone knew that the death would be temporary. Sure, they faked it well by introducing four new ?Supermen? to take his place, but no way would DC actually allow Superman to stay dead. Still, everyone played along and enjoyed the ride.

The other example is more recent and I mentioned it earlier. Last year, the creator of The Walking Dead Robert Kirkman killed off Glenn in a very violent and (some would say) unnecessary fashion. Relax, fans of the television show, he said that the character is much too popular to do the same on TV. That statement speaks to the point of this article, but you must know by now that it will take a bit longer to get there. The internet became very angry about Glenn’s death. Fans threatened to never buy the comic again. Some went as far as to call both Kirkman and those who didn’t join the boycott sadists and far worse. Internet rage is not a new thing, but given the lukewarm reception of Wolverine’s death, I find the juxtaposition interesting. Especially when you consider that the title of the book is ?The Walking Dead? and that doesn’t refer just to the zombies.

Superman dies and he gets national coverage. Glenn dies and he is supported by the combined rage of the internet. Wolverine dies and his legacy is met with a collective yawn. Heck, even Thor’s sex change got more play than poor Wolvie. So, what gives? I think that a big part of it lies in Robert Kirkman’s assurance to everyone that TV Glenn is safe. Comic books were big in the 1990s. They have their roots in counter culture and blossomed through the love and admiration of young awkward boys who wanted to be heroes themselves. Those boys grew up and had their own money and comic books became so popular in the 1990s that several of the lesser known companies became big names and one company even sprouted from the ire that several artists and writers felt towards the big two. While collecting and reading comics might have still been considered a nerdy hobby, the internet showed that there were many nerds and some of theme were even conspiring to change the world.

Nerds grew up more and got married (sometimes to other nerds) and had nerd babies that are now growing up and discovering the wonderful worlds available to them. I ask the rhetorical question again in a different way. What happened? Comic books should be more popular than ever. This strange off shoot of comic book ?culture? is more popular than ever. Movies and television shows based on the most obscure heroes become huge successes. Two coastal comic conventions (that have little to do with actual comics other than the ?culture?) do huge business along with countless other local and cousin, like gaming conventions, draw massive crowds and continue to grow.

What happened to comics that even a die hard fan who collected as recently as Civil War (admittedly not all that recent) has completely given up on them? The 90s were the best of times for comics, as illustrated (pun intended) above. They were also the worst of times. All of those companies vying for what is ultimately a niche marked caused oversaturation of the market. The same happened with baseball cards. I was burned by the promised collectability of both and both have since been recycled. The quality of writing and art suffered as they tried to find more artists for the new titles and it seems that they never learn their lessons and repeat this pattern every 10 years or so. Comic books ahve also become very expensive. I often joke that it’s no wonder that half of this country is illiterate because nobody can afford to read. Seven years ago when I collected last, books were $1.99, sometimes $2.49 and the ?big? issues were $4.99. A quick check of the Midtown Comics web page shows that many of the books now retail for $3.99 and $4.99. That’s twice as much as I used to pay for a paper back novel (When I was your age’) and more than a booster pack of Magic cards. I can buy a comic that I will read once or 15 cards that I will use on a monthly basis. As the prices rise, other hobbies rise to capture those dollars, and the ?culture? is able to more accurately capture the spirit of the comics in other media, comics sadly decline.

Superman died during a resurgence of the Golden Age of comics. Glenn died and is a part of a show that isn’t shy about killing some of the most loved characters, but he had a rabid television audience. The feminine side of Thor could easily pollute the next movie that comes out. Wolverine is dying in a medium that has been slowly dying for years, but few seem to care. I’m a bit of a doomsayer when it comes to all print publishing (especially textbooks, those *******s need to die), but I honestly believe that print and all associated need to change or go extinct. As long as people are confident that Hugh Jackman (or someone else, if they decide to reboot since that’s big now) will pop those claws in the latest summer blockbuster, then nobody will care than he’s being killed for a year or so in the funny pages.