mylescorcoran

As per mizkit and irishkate this is a test to see who’s still here. So, if you read this, leave me a one-word comment about your day that starts with the third letter of your LJ USERNAME. Only one word please. Then repost so I can leave a word for you. Don’t just post a word and not copy – that’s not as much fun!

Inspired by the beautiful maps Dyson Logos (rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/) creates, I took a stab at drawing a side-view dungeon at the weekend.

It needs more tidying up and could really do with some shading or cross-hatching to bring out the edges, but I'm pleased with it as a first effort.

Anyone fancy stocking the caverns and rooms? Who or what dwells in the various catacombs and crevices?

Best birthday wishes, curiouswombat. Hope that you get more than leftovers for your birthday dinner tonight.

We played another game of Eminent Domain last night. Things moved more quickly this time as we had a better grasp of the rules and most of the technology cards. Sam and Alai both bough pretty early into a Research track and I shied away from Research for a while in reaction, but didn't really get a produce/trade engine working instead. I did manage to do well with Colonize actions and settle planets fairly steadily. Alai was also getting the planets out at a good clip, but Sam's Improved Trade technology cards helped her crank out influence points steadily as she also settled more worlds.

As in our last game the end came fairly suddenly with a round of Trades soaking up the remaining influence chips. We hadn't come anywhere close to exhausting one of the role decks. Final scores were Alai 24, Myles 27, and Sam 28. Fun game, and one that I think we'll be replaying.

This time-lapse video of pictures taken from the ISS is beautiful and mesmerising.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space | Fly Over | Nasa, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

The new shiny in boardgames in our house is Eminent Domain, a card game with a space colonization and conquest gloss. Boardgamegeek's page is here.

We played our first game last night with a three-hander. It took us the to-be-expected age and a half to get a grip on the rules. Much like Race for the Galaxy our first game was a lot longer than it says on the box. I expect future games to be quicker.

Sam seemed to get ahead in the Research action, Alai had the best Produce/Trade engine and I seemed to be ahead with the Colonize action. Despite our impressions during the game no one had an overall lead and it ended in a three-way draw at 30 points apiece. Sam took the game with the tie-breaker due to her sizeable fleet of fighters. Alai placed second on his stack of resources and I took third.

A good game and one I hope to play again soon.

Best birthday wishes, a_d_medievalist.

We left our heroes (they're the closest we've got) heading for Haven, the first of the Independent worlds. A hive of scum and villainy perhaps, but the best place to get zoomium, the fuel for the Owl.
 ( Read on... )

We tackled John Harper’s one-shot Lady Blackbird nearly two years ago now. Prompted by my fellow A&Eers, I thought I'd put the write-ups here.
( Cut for length )

I like to remember Stansilav Petrov and his bravery on this day in 1983. He risked his career and did not follow Soviet Air Force doctrine that would have led to a nuclear war.

Thank you, Colonel Petrov, and thanks to all the other people who over the years chose sanity over nuclear madness.