In Galaxy Far, Far Away ....

Since my first son was born, I have been excitedly waiting for my kids to get to the age where they could become my movie buddies. That time has finally come and it was worth the wait.

Over the holidays, my two boys, a friend of Tristan's and I went and watched The Hobbit. We ate McD's, laughed, talked and watched a movie and it was amazing. My boys and I have also watched G.I Joe and Star Wars Episode 4 over the past couple of weeks. Furthermore, we are planning on going to watch a pile of movies at the theater this summer starting with G.I Joe 2 in March.

I have learned that most parents struggle through the teenage years but this is what I am truly look forward to because even though I am looking forward to the movies themselves, it is the time together and conversation that makes these trips truly magical. Leading and guiding my boys through the path of life and all of its landmines. Having the opportunity to answer the hard questions away from the ladies. This is the work that I enjoy.

Thank God for movies and roadtrips :)

Collectible Card Games, Acquisition Disorder and Me

I love card games. This love starts back when I was a kid. My dad played cards all the time. He taught me math by playing crib and we frequently went to tournaments on Friday nights. Then in 1994 when I was attending high school, I discovered a little game called Magic the Gathering and the hobby of Collectible Card Game (CCG).

Let’s pause a moment and explain CCGs. A CCG is a collectible game where you buy a starter deck of cards to learn the game. From there, you can buy randomized packs of cards, rarely more than 15 but usually 10 cards to a pack, to build and expand your decks to be better, stronger and win more.

We would play every day in the school library. There was a thrill to opening a new pack of cards and not knowing what was inside. From there, I ventured into my all-time favorite CCG which was Star Trek. I love Trek and this put me in control of some of my favorite characters from the Next Generation mythos. Over the next several years, I bought into several different card games because I could and because the art was cool and because I had to have them.

Let’s pause again. My name is Cory and I have an Acquisition Disorder (AD). This means that it is almost always a losing battle when it comes to stuff and the acquisition of said stuff. You see, I am like a dwarf ... I see something shiny (like a diamond in the stone) and even if it means my demise (the wall falling on my beared head) I cannot help but acquire the shiny bauble (even though I am now dead).

And there is the problem with CCGs, they are addictive. The pursuit of better cards which are hard to find and expensive to acquire becomes all consuming. Furthermore, I person with AD will be forever in pursuit of more in a CCG because there is always more. This lead to my burnout from card games for the better part of 10 years. I did not believe I would ever come back. But I did ....

 Once the Giddy Goblin in Hanover opened up and I began working there, the cards began to call out to me because of my AD. Around the same time, I discovered a little game published by Fantasy Flight Games called Lord of the Rings. They were marketing it as an LCG with the difference between it and a CCG being that the Collectible part of the hobby had been replaced by a fixed distribution where individual packs of the same name all have the same cards as well as a full play set (maximum number of the same card) for deck-building purposes. This definitely spoke to me since I am now married with 3 kids and can no longer afford the collectible market like I once did. So I did the math.

Magic releases 4 sets a year and to acquire everything, I would have to buy 3 boxes of each set and probably still need to do some trading to get the rest. A booster box is 36 booster packs and costs about $120. So that is a yearly cost of $1,440.

Lord of the Rings costs about $35 for a core set and I needed 3 to get everything. After that it is a monthly commitment of $12 for an adventure pack and a semi-yearly commitment of $25 for an expansion. This works out to a year one expenditure of about $299 and a yearly expenditure of $194 going forward.

And the conclusion is that for less money a month, I could acquire all that an LCG had to offer and still be able to play a great game. But I told myself that I would only commit to one.

And that lasted for the last year because now I am considering getting into 2 more LCGs, Star Wars and NETrunner. So I have again been doing the math taking into account for my AD. I have not bought either yet because once I do I am all in regardless. This will be a struggle to determine enjoyment versus cost.

Hmmmm, What to do ...

Top Games of 2012

With the end of 2012 imminent, it is time to sum up the games of year. This year saw my collection balloon greatly, mainly due to the fact that I have a local dealer ... err I mean game store ... in the area. I cannot say enough good things about The Giddy Goblin. Great store, Great Owners, Great supply of games, Great group of people who play there. Enough of the love fest and onto my top board games of 2012.

1. Trajan - A Stefan Feld design and  probably one of his best to date. This game has a little of everything game mechanic wise but the belle of the ball is the mancala. It will truly make your head spin trying to figure it out and get it to do what you want. The game is punishing if you make a mistake but yet you are never truly out of the running. This is what I like though, a good and meaty board game which takes several plays to learn and many more to master. Looking forward to playing this a lot more in 2013.

2. Village - In Village, you control one of several families vying for fame in a simple village. This is a worker placement game at its core but with a twist. That twist shows up in how you handle family members. This game comes with 4 generations of one family and as the time track makes one full circuit then a family member must die. Depending on where that family member is on the board, he/she will go in the town records or an unmarked grave. That is where this game becomes great. Not only trying to maximize points through the worker placement but also through managing which family member will die and when is so important. It really feels like you are trying to bring honor and fame to your family.

3. Seasons - In seasons, you are competing against up to 3 other spell slingers to become the best sorcerer in a 3 year competition. How this is done is through rolling dice and collecting mana from the four seasons to power magical items and familiars. However, what really makes this game so great is the card draft at the beginning of the game. You start with 9 cards and keep one then pass the our 8 to the next player. You continue to draft one card at a time until you have 9 cards. Afterwards, you must take the 9 cards and split them into three piles of 3 cards to be used in each of the 3 years. This card draft really does have a way of making every game feel different and for that I am thankful.

4. Eclipse - Eclipse is an economics game hidden behind an space exploration/extermination theme. It is simple in its design and elegant in it play. It is big and epic and sits lots of people. On the the downside, it needs a very big table to play 6 players and it does bog down towards the end. However, with experienced players who try to plan when waiting for there turn this game really does shine.

5. Mice and Mystics - I bought this game because of the promise. That promise was a co-operative game with a narrative story arc centering around a prince and his cohorts turned into Mice to escape the evil spreading through the castle. This game has not disappointed. It comes with two books, a rulebook and a storybook containing all the scenarios. The kids and I have only played twice but we are looking forward to playing through the entire story in 2013. Hopefully, another story will be released in the new year as well.

As for 2013, I am looking forward to 2 new games from Stefan Feld (Rialto and Bora Bora), Suburbia (a city building tile laying game a la Simcity), Terra Mystica and Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar. And those are just the ones from late 2012 or early 2013. Add on top of that a road trip to Gen Con in August and 2013 is shaping up to be a great year.

Hope to see you at the table in 2013!

The quest for the family Tradition ...

Ever since my wife and I got married, we have tried to reconcile our different upbringings and Christmas traditions into one for our newly formed family going forward. This became even more important once we started to see little ones join the family. Needless to say, we have had many failures along the way. But finally after more than a decade of trying, we have hit gold.

It started a few years ago, when Marie and I started to give the kids PJ'S and a book for Christmas eve. But something was always just off therefore I began to believe that this was another failed attempt. There was no joy or magic to the tradition  It was simply go to Christmas eve service then come home and let the kids open a gift then have them put on new gift and go read new gift and wait until morning. Ugggh!!!

This year, however, the missing ingredients were added to the soup. The first ingredient was buying a likewise gift to the kids' for both parents (which Marie did not know about). Before leaving home, the second ingredient was added, which was a game of Ticket to ride after church, before opening any presents, accompanied by hot cocoa and coffee. Then off to the Christmas eve candlelight service we went. As we were driving home, the third ingredient was added in the form of a challenge. The winner of a game of Ticket to Ride would get first crack at gift opening. Needless to say, this idea was not completely formed yet but like all ideas you have to ride it out and see what happens. The game was fun and created a spirit of joy and closeness in the family. Once final placements were set with yours truly on top and my lovely wife second, the fourth ingredient was added. I opened my mouth, which is not always a good thing, and decreed that each person in order would pick up the bagged and wrapped gift of the person they choose and present them with the gift accompanied by some nice words in regards to the recipients value to our family and life in general.

So off to opening presents, which was magical, fun and amazing. The kids had huge grins and us parents had ones to revival the kids, along with some tears of joy. Once we all willing piled into out PJ's, the final ingredient was added, a Christmas movie with pop and snacks. The entire evening was very stirring and intimate. What family time at Christmas should be about. I am starting believe that traditions never just start but they evolve out time into something great and cherished which ours has now become.

Merry Christmas to you all!!!!

Boardgaming + friends = happiness

Life has been very busy for me this past year. Between working three different jobs, being married and being a father to 3 great kids, there is not much time left in the day. On the other hand, I love bookkeeping more than I ever loved my previous job and working at a Boardgame store is like working at Willy Wonka's candy factory. So I would agree that life is good if I were to stop there.

But I wont ....

What makes life really great is the times of boardgaming with family and friends at the end of a busy day or weekend that really fills up the ol' love tank. I appreciate the smack talking, the agonizing choices to be made every turn, the laughs over a horrible roll of the dice and the jeers and cheers at the end of every game.

I love playing a friendly game with my kids or losing a 2 player game to my wife. I love sitting with a good friend , drinking coffee and playing a game at the kitchen table. I love playing a game with new faces, and not so new ones, on a Monday or Wednesday evening at the store. I love the hard fought battles of Saturday and Sunday evening with the guys from the game group.

These things make life complete. They make me a better person everyday when life is hard or demanding. They are the rewards to life. They are engaging and relational.

I just wish I could win more ;)

Exam Writing - A short story told through Facebook posts

Post #1

‎10 days until Christmas but before I can party, I must do battle against 3 nasty exams that stand before me. They stand tall and imposing with stank and humid breath as they look to pummel me to the ground. But I do not relent. I lift my mighty pencil high and at the top of my lungs, I give a warrior's cry to my deity hoping for a response. Shall I survive or shall I perish? Shall the numbers crunch or will I instead be crunched? We will see ...

Post #2

With my pencil held high, and my voice gone coerce from yelling I charge at the first fell beast. and his name is Cost and managerial Accounting II. I shall remain pure of conviction and hold true to my mission. This exam will not best be in combat.

Post #3

The battle was fierce and I leave the exam's lair knowing that it was a close one. The beast almost did me in as we exchanged wounds back and forth but with a perfect parry followed by a thrust of my pencil, I slayed the beast by burying my pencil deep instead the exams beating papers. Now I must move forward, toward the lair of the second exam beast. This one sounds louder and harder than the last but I must push onward.

Post #4

I traverse the dang hallway known as the weekend and I see the exam beast towering before me. I do not feel prepared to challenge this 3 hour behemoth promises but I know I must find the courage and the wits to do battle. I take one last memorizing glance at my notes and then throw them to the side knowing they can do me no further good. I lift my pencil high and cover behind my calculator and charge forward. The time for battle is now and I will fight and conquer and hear the lamentation of the teachers ...

Post #5

After much hard work, I enter the final room. The final exam beast towers over me and I can feel the hate roll off of it in waves. Behind him I spy a door with sunshine trickling through the cracks. I slay this beast and I will earn my freedom. I do not feel prepared. My mind is soft, my body weak and my pencil is losing its edge. I must press on despite the obstacles. I do not did to slay the beast but simply wound it enough to get through the door. The time is now and I make my move...

Post #6

The battle is done, the beast still lives as do I. The battle was fierce, my body is tired and I took several deep wounds but I believe that I shall be declared victorious in the end. Now I shall sit at a corner table in some dimly lit tavern and enjoy some cool beverages while I await the results from my battles with the 3 exam beasts. And then I will sleep ... The End?

8 sleeps until Christmas

I Love Love Love Gifts ....

It doesn't matter if I am getting or receiving, I simply love gifts. Not much more to say than that. And at this time of year, I am reminded of the greatest gift of all ... Jesus Christ.

Christmas carols have told the tale of Jesus for years but I have never been a really big fan of them until now. I was recently listening to my fave radio station, RadioU, and they played O Holy Night (definitely not a fan of the song) by the band "Becoming the Archetype" and now I am a believer in what Christmas carols can be. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

Exam Time and Music

It is exam time in my house and that means studying. Normally this is not a hard thing to do although with the passing of my mom and then being struck done with Pneumonia for the last week, there has not been a lot of time for that. Therefore, I sit at my computer with a measly 4 hours of study time completed, my eyes heavy from sickness and meds, and my thoughts scattered like papers riding a cool breeze. So I blog, half to waste the time away so I have excuses and half to focus my mind for the task ahead. I hope the latter proves true since I have three exams in 6 days and I would like to finish well. Well back to studying but before I go, a gift. The gift of song since it seems to be what helps me navigate the troubling times of life. This one seems to speak to me of Christmas and loss and hope. Enjoy!!

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)

Dreams and Fears

Recently, I had the opportunity to cross an item off of my to-do-before-I-die list. This happened when I got to finally see my favorite soccer player take the field in a live match in Toronto against my boys in red. Who is this player you may ask? Well it is none other than French national player, Thierry Henry. This was only the second game I got to this season for the TFC but watching my soccer hero play made it all worthwhile. I can say without doubt that he is pure magic on the ball and as expect arrogant and brash as any Frenchman should be.

This got me to thinking about the dreams and fears I have for the future since I am in school

retraining and currently not working full-time. Ultimately, this proved to be a hard exercise. After much soul searching, I came up with simply this: I want to live a life of purpose that glorifies God, that honors my wife and children and is filled with lots of laughter, Board games, good music and good conversation and intimate relationships that care more about depth and honesty over frivolity and superficiality.

What is my greatest fear .... that I will FAIL at accomplishing my dream.

Labour Weekend Wrap-up

Labour day weekend has come and gone and that means the kids have gone back to school. The Kids are happy for now but I know that the happiness will turn to loathing as the homework begins to pile up. The parents are happy but that will wain to mediocrity as the 100th sandwich of the school year is made. So in celebration of the annual tradition of sending the little ones back to school I played board games.

Friday night saw Andrew and Dave crash my place for some good conversation, food and gaming. We started the evening with a game of Quarriors!! and then wrapped it up with a game of Star Trek: Expeditions. Expeditions is fast becoming a favorite of mine more because Star Trek was my gateway to Sci-Fi than the game being any good (though it is). I got the opportunity to play Bones only because Scotty is not available in the base game. Either way it was fun and we solved the problem on Nimbia so all was good in the End.

I was invited on Sunday to play board games so of course I went. We played a total of 4 games over 12 hours which is so very amazing in my books. We played Cyclades, St Petersburg, Age of Mythology and Incan Gold. All were fun games, but the two holdouts for the best of the day were St. Petersburg and Incan Gold with the latter game being my only win of the day.

On Monday, the family and I sat down to tackle Agricola. This is a hard game to win so my younger kids grew bored quickly much more interested in played house with the farmer pieces than actually playing the game. In the end it was still fun and I will pull it out again to see how much they remember.

Now begins the wait until this weekend to play more games again. At least it is a short work week.

Weekend Wrap-up

Friday night started the weekend off with a bang as a couple of friends came over and we managed to get in a quick game of Quarriors! followed by a raucous 3-person session of Battlestar Galactica.

Saturday saw me ref a total of 6 soccer games at the Saugeen Cup where 4 Hanover Teams were also competing. HMSA walked away with one 1st place finish, 2 3rd places and a fourth. Sunday morning was more of the same as I traveled to Tara for a 4 game stretch of Ref duties at the U-20 boys tournament.

Sunday evening I was invited to a games night which I could not pass on even though I was tired from reffing soccer games all weekend. So I took my cookies and went over and was rewarded with two games of 7 wonders, components pictured below, (a top 10 ranked game according to BGG) and one play through of Condottiere. I had not yet had the oppurtunity to play either game and I was especially delighted to finally get to play 7 wonders. Although I enjoyed Condottiere just as much even though I got my backside soundly beat. :p

All in all, a very good weekend although a little more family time would have been nice.

The End is Nigh ...

It seems like yesterday ... a cool spring breeze blowing small life-giving raindrops onto the ground below. Inside the quaint brick house there is an anxiousness, no scratch that, an eagerness for the soccer season to begin. A new season filled with hope, dreams, fun and new friends. That was the scene in my house 14 weeks ago.

Now it is August and that means tournament season and the picture is much different. The weather is most times hot or sticky or both. The kids are tired of the soccer grind and anxious for the tournaments. They are asking themselves: Did I get better? Is this the year that we win? Will we win again this year? Can I have a freezie?

This time of year is always bitter sweet for me because I love seeing kids play soccer and not just my kids, but all kids. And tournaments mean that it is all coming to an end for this year. This is the time of year where goalies cry after losing in a shoot-out. This is the time of year that coaches will often lose their cool at a bad call from a ref. This is the time of year that the underdog team wins it all. This is the time of year that a rag-tag bunch of kids come together and show everyone the impossibilities that teamwork can do.

I am happy to see the end of a busy season come to a close which hints at the call of some rest in my near future but I am left with a unknowing question that haunts at the edges. The question I am left asking myself is far more removed than all the questions coaches, players and parents are asking themselves.

Did the kids have enough fun through learning, playing and socializing to want to come back again next year?

And the answer is never known until next year when the rain is falling on the brown winter-damaged grass and the refreshing breeze is no longer blowing from the north.

Summer Update

Wow ... this place is pretty dusty. I guess that is what happens when the blog is ignored for nearly 5 months. Anyway, I guess I should update people on what has been happening. The spring semester exams have come and gone and I am carrying a 3.89 GPA into the third and final semester of my retraining from Electronics tech to bookkeeper/accounting clerk. The 2011 outdoor soccer season is entering into tournament time and my U10s are middle of the pack while the U12 team is towards the bottom. My wife has switched to a new job and I am working a few hours every week bookkeeping.

On the nerd front, I was able to find some time to hit the theater to watch a few flicks. Those flicks would be Harry Potter 7b, Captain America, X-Men: First Class and Thor with the latter being the best in my opinion. On a side note, 3 of the 4 movies were watched at my local single screen theater so that I did not have to violated with 3D.

I have also been watching a fair bit of anime as I continue to work through my DVD collection. I have polished of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Eden of the East and I am currently working through One Piece and Naruto. Speaking of the DVD collection, I finally found the nerve to finish Battlestar Galactica and the ending was not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I quite enjoyed it.

On the gaming front, I finished Uncharted and what a great game. I am part way through Uncharted 2 and enjoying it just as much. I still have to finish Dragon Age (I am on the last fight) but I cant seem to find the excitement to do so since I know what crap is waiting for me afterwards with the DLC and DA2. I have played little LOTRO this summer but I did manage to run a few raids and level the burglar to Level 52. As for my gaming list, I am well of pace to say the least.

I have been playing a large number of board games lately as it slowly becomes my favorite pastime. I currently own 13 distinct titles which includes several expansions per title and I have 4 more on pre-order. You check out my collection on BoardGameGeek. I have been getting together with a few game groups in the area but it never seems like enough. I would be happy gaming 4 or 5 days a week. Thanks to some friends I have been able to play a few new games with the best one so far being Star Trek : Expeditions. Also, D.P and A.S traveled with me to Toronto to be a part of TABScon in the early summer. We were able to play Battlestar Galactica and Cyclades which were both very fun games. I am so looking forward to our trip this September.

Anyway, there you have it, an update and a long one at that. Until later ... have fun gaming!!

I am the Power Lord!!!

Playing new boardgames is always fun for me because I am willing to play anything once. Therefore this weekend was very good since I got to play some new boardgames thanks to an invite to a family game day. The new games were Power Grid and Bohnanza ( the Bean Game).

I was not expecting Bohanaza be much fun when you see the set-up. It is a deck of cards full of different beans and the concept is to plant bean crops and accumulate the most money. Sounds lame right? Well like I found out, you would be wrong. Bohnanza is a very deep game full of strategy especially when you add-in the main mechanism of the game, card trading. The game is fun, frustrating , cut-throat and did I mention fun. For the price, definitely a must buy.

The next game was the true gem. It's a small game named Power Grid. In the game you buy power plants of different varieties, the raw material to power the plants and cities to power. The end-game is to power more cities and have the most cash. The game really is a bookkeepers or accountants dream come true. I simply love this game. I will be buying this game. I will become the next Mr. Burns ...