A punitive expedition from German East Africa sets out to punish the Pirate Arab slaver Abu Al Oshiri.
Stay tuned for a full battle report of the trouncing of Abu Al Oshiri’s Arab slavers by the Imperial German field force under Kapitän von Kugelschreiber…
Download the Scenario in PDF format!
For the big play test, I opted for the classic encounter: intrepid explorers traveling through the bush encounter a less-than-hospitable swarm of native tribesmen. The armies were based on the standard “European-led Expedition” and “Tribal Farmers” lists from the book, although I bumped up the Explorer’s maximum from 16 to 20 figures in a house rule (which turned out to be a good idea).
Essentially, each side had a pair of objectives. The Explorers’ primary mission was to get their baggage safely off the far side of the table; the secondary mission was to enter the Ubuntu village. The Ubuntu, on the other had, had to destroy the baggage and not allow any foreigners to enter the village.
Our Ubuntu commander (young Master John) and his friend decided to abandon the village and put all their forces outside of it on a direct warpath towards the explorers. The Explorers (Mike & Matt), moved forward in a firing line directly toward the village gates with the baggage lurking in the jungle on their right rear.
Well, the first big surprise was when the Ubuntu elite warriors dashed out of a small patch of Elephant Grass straight into the Askari line—and had 7 of 8 killed outright! The Askari basically attempted the same for a couple of turns until they decided it was best just to power their way across the table and into the village.
As I’m writing this a week after the fact, the memory fogs a bit, but what essentially happened was that the Explorers fought a desperate battle all the way across the table entering the undefended village with their baggage safely in tow on the last turn—in which they’d also been reduced to 25% of their starting force. I essentially called it a draw. The Explorers had indeed entered the “forbidden” village and saved the baggage, yet they were almost wiped out and the Ubuntu still had 2/3 of their forces in the field.
I think it went quite well for the first game. The rules are so simple that it was really easy to keep things moving. I think I may have had slightly too much terrain on the board, but in the setup I’d attempted to give the Explorers a fairly large alley of fire into the village (which they really never took advantage of). My thought was that the White Men and Elite Askaris—with their really long range—could take pot-shots all the way across the table at the approaching natives; they started with their White Men in the jungle, though, protecting the baggage and accompanied by their native spearmen.
The Ubuntu also did a couple of strange things: they left the village completely undefended and did not lead with their 11 bowmen. In fact, the bows only got off 1 successful shot towards the end of the game! I called the game a draw in part because though the nearly wiped-out explorers got to the village and couldn’t realistically do much once they got there, since there was not a single Ubuntu figure in the village to oppose them I deemed that a gross tactical mistake.
I’ll tell you one thing: these rules are BLOODY! You’re essentially alive or dead. Melee is also really deadly: if you get doubled-up on (which was happening often to the Askari) the second figure gets a free hit. That means that 50% of the time, the outnumbered figure will die, whether or not he defeats his first opponent. Pretty grim.
I also liked how the baggage worked. On the fly, I made up some rules about it so it wouldn’t be so brittle (they’re now incorporated in the House Rules & Clarifications sheet). I decreed that as long as there was a friendly figure within 3″ of the baggage on the side the attackers were coming from, they couldn’t attack the baggage until they’d dealt with the defender first. The Explorers basically surrounded the baggage and lasted long enough for it to get by. I also made it so the baggage cannot be killed by shooting (not that the Ubuntu bowmen did much of that anyway…).
I was quite happy. I think it makes for a really fun, exciting and fast-paced evening of gaming. The whole thing took probably 2-2 1/2 hours, kickoff to final whistle. The 3 x 4 playing board was the perfect size and the terrain looked pretty good. I’m very keen to continue playing this for a while and will try to put on several games concurrently on some club night. Dan mentioned—and I tend to agree—that this would also be a great convention game.
Download the Scenario in PDF format!
This morning at exactly 10:00 AM, the sweetest kitty in the world had her heart stopped.
As I wrote just over a month ago, Victoria had become really sick while I was in Japan and despite her fighting for all she was worth, it finally came time for me to release her from any suffering. Over the weekend, she got a case of the runs so I took her back to the Vet on Monday afternoon. Doctor Tracy examined her and found she’d actually lost 30% of her body weight in a month even though she’d started eating again—she weighed a mere 4.8 pounds. There was also something new that wasn’t there a month ago: a disturbing bone swelling on her upper right jaw which she said was probably a tumor—it had also caused a serious tooth abscess. I left her overnight again so Dr. Tracy could give some antibiotics and pull the tooth. I didn’t sleep well last night…
When I showed up at 9:30 this morning per the doctor’s instructions, Victoria seemed fairly peppy. She practically leapt into my lap and buried her face in my hand to be petted. Dr. Tracy said that the tooth had come out fine and that we could try to see what happened next but that the prognosis wasn’t good. For the first time in my 45 1/2 years, I personally had to make a life-and-death decision, and I chose what I thought would be best for Victoria. It sure was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Dr. Tracy gave her the first injection to put her to sleep, then wrapped her up in a towel and I held her in my lap. I petted my baby girl gently, rubbed her under the chin (she always loved that…) and kissed her head as she fell asleep. The doctor had turned down the lights in the room and left us alone—Victoria went to sleep with her eyes open. I felt her cuddle close to me, then relax, then just fade away. Dr. Tracy came back, we placed her on the table and she received the final injection in her frail little arm that stopped her heart. I stroked her head one last time as the tears continued flowing down my face—and Dr. Tracy took Victoria away from me for the last time.
I know this was the right thing to do—as stewards on this earth, we have the ability to make this kind of choice for our pets to alleviate their suffering humanely. But it was just so difficult. I know she was an animal, but she was also my companion for 16 years and everyone will tell you that she was just the sweetest cat you could ever meet. I kept wishing I’d brought her to the vet sooner; that maybe I should have stayed home from Japan to be here and notice her getting sick sooner. You also can’t help but anthropomorphize as well—what was she thinking about me as she huddled close in her final moments? Was she in pain? Relieved that she could just close her eyes as I cuddled her? Was she sad or upset with me?
I can remember why I picked her at the West Valley Animal Shelter over 16 years ago: she was so cute and so calm, sitting in her cage with one sibling, her paws tucked under her chest. She was so quiet—she never meowed unless she was really, really upset about something. Whenever you walked into the room she’d walk in front of you looking up with her pretty green eyes then fall over like a lump expecting to get petted and pampered.
She was also the only cat I’ve ever known that played fetch! In her younger days, I’d be lying in bed watching TV and throw little sponge rubber balls across the room; she’d leap up, twisting and turning, and dash off to get it. She’d then come trotting back, ball in her mouth and drop it right next to me begging for another round. We’d play that for an hour or more almost every day…
But she’d finally gotten too sick; she had lost all the weight she could possibly lose. Her last few days were spent lying around without even the strength to flip her tail—she’d stopped eating again, probably due to the bad tooth. I wish I’d cuddled with her more at home over the weekend. It really hurts to have to part, but she’ll be happier in kitty heaven.
So now it’s just Max and me. I don’t think I’ll be getting another cat, and I just hope Max won’t get weird being alone after all these years (he’s actually a month older than Victoria was, so he’s always had a companion). He’s as strong as a horse and eats like one too—just the opposite of my poor little girl.
I loved my baby girl and will miss her, but am glad she won’t suffer any longer. She was a real trooper and put up a good fight, but nobody lives forever.
The biggest problem with keeping up a regular blog—or journal, for that matter—is that I don’t think my everyday life is particularly interesting at the moment. But here goes anyway…
So when I got up and went for my walk the other morning, I’d had this blister on my right heel and got another on my left heel. I’d bandaged and padded them up, but at about 1.5 miles out, I was in a lot of pain. I took off my socks to find that the bandages had slipped and torn off the loose skin—I had to walk back a mile and a half barefoot. I didn’t walk again until this morning, and did my 4+ miles in my flip-flops.
Speaking of walking, my usual route is just over 4 miles (about 4.2, actually) and I’ve been doing that every day. I’ve even done it twice in a day. The walking seems to be doing wonders in my weight loss program along with my moderation in diet and eating. FYI, I’m doing my eating based loosely on The Abs Diet, which is an interesting book. I just haven’t been able to get enthused about going to the gym (even though it’s only downstairs…sheesh) so I’m concentrating on simply being active and doing something that will turn up my fat-burning metabolism. A week from today, the Adult swim coaching class starts, and that’s what I plan to do going forward—swim. This morning I weighed 179.6 and my plan is to drop down to 150 by year’s end.
Victoria seems pretty lively, and she even played with me and some string today. She’s still way too skinny and doesn’t seem to be eating enough. I’m not sure what to do next…
Last night, due to a last-minute schedule change, I ended up hosting game night at my place. We played a few games of DBA with a variety of asian armies (the Mongols SUCK in DBA…) and generally socialized.
Finally, I happened across a link somewhere to a website specifically designed for journal writing. I’ve decided to start gathering up all my old journals and source materials that I can still find and transcribing them online to eventually be published in book form. The service is pretty cool and reasonably priced ($30.00/year + any book printing costs)—you should check it out: http://pyxlinjournal.familylearn.com/home/
So that’s it for my boring week. stay tuned with baited breath in case something even MORE interesting happens…
Today, I’m ECSTATIC! After waking up and taking my 4-mile morning walk, I got home, weighed myself and was 179! This is the first time I’ve been under the 180 pound barrier in years! Obviously my weight loss/diet/exercise program is beginning to work. Now I’ve just got 30 more pounds to go. I was happy that—even after eating at McDonald’s for lunch in Vegas AND that chocolate shake on the way home—I didn’t gain any extra weight on my trip. Playing tennis with Mike last night also helped, I’m sure. Coming up a week from Saturday will be the adult swim coaching class I’m planning on starting. If I can take everyone’s advice to “take up swimming because it’ll be easier on your bad knee” and learn how to swim for real, then maybe I can get back in shape quicker.
So Victoria is home with me again. She really didn’t fatten up at all (I guess I was too optimistic for the 4 days). She seems happier and her eyes are brighter, so she’s feeling better. I still get to give her hydration IV’s for a few more days and finish dosing the Epogen. Beyond that, nobody from the vet said what to do next—guess I’ll have to give them another call later. Now that I’ve spent so much money and time on her, I hope it’ll be worth it and she’ll be happy and her sweet self again for a while.
I’ve GOT to find work. I did manage to sell a couple things on eBay while I was away, so that’s a tiny help, but I MUST find something very, very soon. I’m working on it as best I can, but have no leads yet. I’m going to spend the rest of this week searching and posting online, but then will probably sign up with the temp agency across the street. Even SOME money coming in is better than NONE. That, and I’ll continue posting eBay ads. And maybe following the next voice workshop I do, I can get something going in that direction as well…
Well, the final day has arrived. The problem with the Monday of this convention is that I always miss out on something cool because I want to get home early and avoid as much traffic as I can. Holiday traffic back to L.A. can be a nightmare.
So basically all I did in the morning was eat my last $3.99 breakfast special, play my last $5.00 in quarters in the video poker machines (but this time, I actually WON $8.50—which I cashed out and brought home) then drop by to wander around the con for a couple of hours to bid my farewells. I did actually attend the first half of Monica Rial’s panel this morning and asked her a bunch of questions. She’d said that one of her favorite roles to play was Haruka in RahXephon and I enjoyed hearing that. She also commented that sometimes it’s lots of fun to play the smaller roles because she can really get wild with them. She talked quite a bit about Ayu-chan from Best Student Council which is one of my favorites.
I left about 11:15 or so, but that was after having a nice farewell discussion with Rich, the convention chairman. He’s a great guy and I vowed that I would come out and be a volunteer next year if I’m still around—he said he’d put me in Guest Relations, which would be loads of fun. Luckily, I also ran into Todd Haberkorn just before I walked out of the building, and thanked him for mentioning me by name in his panel last night.
All in all, a great load of fun and I got to deepen friendships, make new connections and basically relax and enjoy myself.
Even though I left fairly early, there were still the usual pockets of traffic on the way home: Nevada state line to halfway to Baker and then again several miles before the Yermo inspection station. NOTHING frustrates me more than being stuck in dead-stopped, bumper-to-bumper traffic on a two lane highway out in the middle of the desert. There’s NOTHING THERE—why the heck is everyone stopping? Geez…
I still made it home by 5:30 or so after treating myself to another burger AND a chocolate shake at Mega Tom’s in Barstow. Max was still alive and just fine and missed me. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pick up Victoria from the vet—hope she’s put on some weight.
Today was a little more relaxed and less hectic. Seems like there weren’t as many people crammed into the con either.
First thing I attended was the Bandai panel presented by none other than the President of Bandai USA. They have some interesting things coming out, but nothing that struck me particularly as a “gotta have it” at this point. Lucky Star really does look pretty funny though and The Girl Who Leapt Through TIme looks pretty cool. The biggest thing I wanted to find out was their schedule and plans for Hayate The Combat Butler, which sadly they don’t have much on yet. They basically showed the un-subbed episode opening, but that was at least exciting; their release plans are “Coming Soon” and “Sometime next year” at the moment. My pointed question to them was “Are they committed to bringing it out quickly AND completing the whole series of 52 episodes” and they affirmed they were. (I also made sure to get a public dig in against Viz since they seem to think it’s not important to complete what they’ve started.)
The highlights for me were having time to have some pretty nice conversations with Jerry Jewell, Justin Cook and Todd Haberkorn (not all at the same time). They’re all such great people and I really appreciate them remembering me and taking time to chat—yet another indication of the great work that Funimation does. High quality product, innovative distribution and very, very nice people who actually care about the fans. I hope everyone reading this who is an anime fan goes out and buys everything they can from them!
I also made the decision to sign up for another Bang Zoom Voice Acting seminar, this time with Tony Oliver on September 20. It was a bit more of a chunk of money than I have at the moment and will need to find someplace, but I have this feeling it’s important right now. It’ll be fun and a good experience.
So the con is winding down. I did end up buying another show—the complete set of .hack//SIGN for a pretty decent price. I really wanted .hack//Roots which I saw yesterday, but that’ll have to wait for a Right Stuf sale and preferably a complete series box set.
Tomorrow will be just a quick swing by in the morning, one last spin around the sales hall and another chance to thank and say goodbye to the great VAs one more time. As usual, I’m torn between wanting to stay to the bitter end of the con (they actually do have some cool stuff planned) or getting on the road before I’m stuck in bumper-to-bumper, post-Labor Day Weekend traffic all the way back to L.A. Usually my abhorrence of driving in traffic wins out…
journey, not destination 