In Memory of my Mom 1947 - 2011

My Mom passed away today after a hard fight with cancer. While the loss of her life on Earth is sad beyond words, the knowledge that she is no longer in pain and in a better place with her heavenly Father is comforting to my soul and my heart. I am short on words and long in tears today therefore I leave you with a poem that has always brought laughter to my Mom and I. I believe she would want laughter today and not tears even though that is hard. I will miss you Mom!!!

When me prayers were poorly said

Who tucked me in me widdle bed

And spanked me til me ass was red?

Me Mudder

Who took me from me cozy cot

And put me the ice cold pot

And made me pee if me could not ?

Me Mudder

And when the morning light would come

And in me crib me dribble some

Who wiped me tiny widdle bum ?

Me Mudder

Who would me hair so gently part

And hug me gently to her heart

And sometimes squeeze me til me fart ?

Me Mudder

Who looked at me with eyebrows knit

And nearly had a king-size fit

When in me Sunday pants me s**t ?

Me Mudder

When at night the bed did squeak

Me raised me head to have a peek

Who yelled at me to go to sleep ?

Me Fadder

Noob View #1 : A Review of Cosmic Encounter

Welcome to my first in a series of reviews where I will give a broad glimpse of a board game through the eyes of a Board Game Geek after just a single play through of the game. For my first article, I will be reviewing the game, Cosmic Encounter.

Cosmic Encounter is a Sci-fi theme board game which was first published in 1977 by Eon Games. It has since been re-published several times by different companies leading to the most recent release by Fantasy Flight Games in 2008. This is the version that I had the opportunity of playing recently thanks to a kind individual who tabled the game at the most recent TABScon event.

In the game, you play an alien race that is trying to expand into five other foreign worlds which is controlled by the other player controlled alien races. This is done by invading other worlds or by supporting the other aliens as they push into foreign worlds.

The Components of the FFG release are very nice. The cards for the different alien races are sturdy, look beautiful and are easy enough to understand considering the theme of the game. The cardboard planets are of a nice and robust material while the ships are made of a sturdy molded plastic and they stack very nicely. The rule booklet is easy to understand and laid out very nicely.

As for game play, a player's turn is comprised of several phases in which they regroup, pick a target (which is done through a draw deck), attacking, resolving and if successful deciding on whether to try another offensive or to pass. The game is very interactive requiring players to call for aid in defending or attacking, or backing one side or another and at times choosing when to stay neutral. The game flows crisply and is very fun. While the game can be a little nasty, it rarely is ever intentional. Rather it is simply a decision of doing what is best for your alien race to survive.

Overall, this game is a must play for anybody who enjoys interactivity, science fiction and/or a deep and engaging theme. I look forward to the next time I get to play this game.

Components:  8.5 / 10
Gameplay:      9.0 / 10
Theme:           9.0 / 10
Replay Value: 10  / 10

Road Trippin'

Went to TABScon yesterday with some friends just to get away and take a break from School and family and life and I have to it was a great day!!!!  How to explain TABS? It is a giant gathering of people who all love board games  Upon entering the building, there is rows and rows of tables accompanied with noise, laughter, yelling, chaos and the occasional bad smells but it is so much fun. People play games all day long but their is also a bring and buy auction, a complex math-trade, a Toronto retailer who is hocking their merch as well as Snakes and Lattes supplying food and coffee.

As always, they had a bring and buy auction and once again I picked something up for super cheap. This time around, the steal was Zooloretto with 5 mini-expansions for $20 bucks. This works out to about a 50% savings and the kids are stoked to play it.

As for games I played. I first got to sit in on a game of Mob Ties which is a kickstarter game from Hostage Entertainment. In the game, you control a mob family trying to make a living in the crowded streets by killing and bribing and backstabbing the other mob families. This is definitely not my favorite game due to its gross out factor and very suggestive art but the interactions among players is very fun. If you can get by the art and theme then it can be a lot of fun.

Afterwards, I join back up with my road-trippin' buddies and we all sat down at a table with a dude who had a bag full of games and there we stayed for the rest of the day. We played Drakon, Cosmic Encounter and Ascension. This was definitely the high-lite for me since all three games were on my play list. After playing all three, I see why I was attracted to them in the first place but in the end Ascension would probably be the game I would be most likely to purchase.

All in all, a great day filled with games and friends and fun. As a sidenote, I won 2 of the 4 games. :)

Now to start looking forward to the opening of our very own local game store and maybe pick up a copy of Ascension. ;)

A little word on Hobby

What is a Hobby? In my definition, a hobby is an activity that is not part of education, employment or training for the sole purpose of enjoyment and fun. Is this a technically accurate definition. probably not. Nonetheless, that is how I define a hobby.

What are my hobbies? My hobbies all reside under the banner of geek. First and foremost, I love board games. I love euro games (like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Dominion) and deck-building games (like Dominion, Redemption, Thunderstone). I enjoy economic games and worker placement games. I like RPG video games (Role Playing Game) and fantasy based games. I like dice, cards, wooden bits and cardboard chits.

Secondly, I like Video games. I usually tend to stick to sports titles, racing games and RPG/fantasy games. However, I have been stretching lately into the world of action/adventure games and found that I am not half bad but I definitely play them for the story more than anything else.

Finally, I like reading. I like fantasy, sci-fi and graphic novels. My favorites are Shounen Japanese comics like One Piece, bleach and Naruto. I also like X-men and Batman comics. I have read all books written by R. A. Salvatore, Jim Butcher, George RR Martin and Ted Dekker. I also really enjoy the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

Why do I share this? To put to words my likes so that those you read this have a bit of context to the strange and wonderful things that I write about. What are your hobbies that you do for enjoyment and fun? If you could not come up with any maybe you could give one of mine a try. ;)

One mistake away ...

Picked up the new Seventh Day Slumber CD on Tuesday to plug into my ears and let me tell you, it is sweet tunes to the eardrums, brain and soul. The CD is definitely lighter than their other releases but the lyrics are far more meatier. One song in particular hit me so hard that I started to bawl while driving around town with Joshua. Once the song finished, Joshua turned to me and asked if we could listen to it again. I guess it struck a chord with him as well. The chorus  says:

I want to run and I want to hide,

I wish I could disappear tonight,

Cause I feel like I'm just one mistake away.

And I know that you'll never leave

But it's so hard to believe when I feel

like I'm just one mistake away.

I am not so sure about other people but this is definitely something I am struggle with these days. I feel like I am one mistake away ...

What console war?

I continue to hear people argue to this day which is better. Nintendo WII or Xbox 360 or  PlayStation 3? I have never really cared since I believe in the mantra "to each their own". That being said, I did find it funny when I read the nominee list for the 2011 VGA awards released today and found that the 4 contenders for PS3 game of the year are all exclusives while only half the games on the 360 list are exclusive titles for Microsoft. This leads me to believe that the console war may still be raging but the software war has been won. Well played Sony ... Well played!!!

Best Xbox 360 Game

• Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros Interactive/Rocksteady Studios)
• Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft Studios/Turn 10 Studios)
• Gears of War 3 (Microsoft Studios/Epic Games)
• Portal 2 (Valve)

Best PlayStation 3 Game

• Infamous 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Sucker Punch)
• Killzone 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Guerrilla Games)
• LittleBigPlanet 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment/Media Molecule)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog)