Friday, January 6, 2012

NFL 2011 Playoffs Round 1 Predictions

Playoffs!

Bengals @ Texans
----------------------
The Wife: Bengals
Me: Bengals (neither of these teams should expect to go any further than this game, but each team should be proud they finally made it to the playoffs)
Steve: Texans ("Not sold on Cincy being worthy of a pick ... but then again I'm not sold on Houston as well...")

Lions @ Saints
---------------------
The Wife: Saints
Me: Saints (could be a closer game than people expect, as the Lions can put points on the board too . . .)
Steve: Saints ("I think the problems we're seeing with the Det D get them in trouble in this one. They should be better than they are. Maybe they'll get Denard in the upcoming draft...")

Falcons @ Giants
-------------------
The Wife: Giants
Me: Giants (not sure about this one . . .)
Steve: Giants ("I could see this one going either way...")

Steelers @ Broncos
-----------------------
The Wife: Broncos
Me: Steelers (it'd be fun to see Tebow work some divine magic and win this one, but I just don't see it happening)
Steve: Steelers ("Tebow can't save them this week after they backed into the playoffs these last few weeks.")

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

NFL 2011 Week 17 Round-Up

A good week for everybody is bad news for The Wife and me, as we're still 11-12 games back with just 11 playoff games left; Steve almost has this one mathematically in the bag, leaving The Wife and me to fight it out for last place--could it come down to the Super Bowl pick?


Panthers @ Saints

-------------------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Saints

WINNER: Saints


Bills @ Patriots

------------------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots

Steve: Patriots

WINNER: Patriots (worst defense, best offense, a great mix!)


Bears @ Vikings

-----------------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Vikings

Steve: Bears

WINNER: Bears


Jets @ Dolphins

----------------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Dolphins

Steve: Jets

WINNER: Dolphins


49ers @ Rams

-------------------

The Wife: 49ers

Me: 49ers

Steve: 49ers

WINNER: 49ers


Lions @ Packers

----------------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Lions

Steve: Packers

WINNER: Packers (sounds like this was a great game . . .)


Redskins @ Eagles

-------------------------

The Wife: Redskins

Me: Eagles

Steve: Eagles

WINNER: Eagles


Colts @ Jaguars

----------------------

The Wife: Jaguars

Me: Jaguars

Steve: Colts

WINNER: Jaguars


Titans @ Texans

---------------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Titans

Steve: Texans

WINNER: Titans


Seahawks @ Cardinals

------------------------------

The Wife: Seahawks

Me: Cardinals

Steve: Seahawks

WINNER: Cardinals (quietly put together a great second half of the season after a terrible start . . .)


Chiefs @ Broncos

-------------------------

The Wife: Broncos

Me: Chiefs

Steve: Broncos

WINNER: Chiefs


Bucs @ Falcons

----------------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Falcons

Steve: Falcons

WINNER: Falcons (couldn't believe it when I saw 42-0 in the SECOND QUARTER!)


Ravens @ Bengals

-------------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Bengals

Steve: Ravens

WINNER: Ravens


Steelers @ Browns

-------------------------

The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers

Steve: Steelers

WINNER: Steelers (a merciful ending to a pitiful Browns season . . .)


Chargers @ Raiders

---------------------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Raiders

Steve: Chargers

WINNER: Chargers (God wanted Tebow in the playoffs . . .)


Cowboys @ Giants

--------------------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Giants

WINNER: Giants


THIS WEEK

The Wife: 10-6

Me: 11-5

Steve: 11-5


CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 153-106

Me: 154-105

Steve: 165-94

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Temeris @ Level Six [RPG]

Last time I wrote about Temeris, he had just reached level 4. My favorite "throw caution to the wind" explorer has now reached level 6 and is still going strong--albeit with a distressing interruption when he was turned to stone by a basilisk! I've stuck with the plan of having him qualify for the Royal Explorer Society prestige class, and (if he survives) he'll be able to take his first level in that at level 7.

As I write this, the character is in another pickle: the Royal Karameikan Fist Adventuring Company is under siege by dozens of worshippers of Orcus (including several ogres) and hasn't had much success trying to fight its way out. Stay tuned . . .

Temeris Reginal Cottingswald III
CG* Human Male, Rog3/Ran3

Strength: 14 (+2), Dexterity: 18 (+4), Constitution: 14 (+2), Intelligence: 16 (+3), Wisdom 12 (+1), Charisma: 18 (+4)

Saves: Fortitude +5, Reflex +10 (+11 vs. Traps), Will +3

AC: 18 (19 vs. Traps)

Hit Points: 40

Attacks: Light Crossbow +9, d. 1d8; Dual Melee: Shortsword +7 (1d6+2)/Dagger +8 (1d4+2)

Equipment: Bedroll, Crossbow Bolts (x12), Map Case, Chalk, Dagger, Flint & Steel, Flecks of Strange Material, Leather Armor +2, Explorer's Outfit, Trail Rations (x4), Torch, Signet Ring, Masterwork Thieves' Tools, Noble's Outfit, Treasure Map, Area Map, Shortsword, Sun rods (x5), Dagger +1, Statue w/ Fungus, Banner, Masterwork Cartographer's Tools, Spyglass, 1061 gp, 4 sp, 3 pp, 85 cp

Skills: Appraise +11, Balance +5, Bluff +5, Climb +7, Concentration +2, Craft (Cartography) +13, Decipher Script +10, Diplomacy +5, Disable Device +12, Disguise +6, Escape Artist +6, Forgery +5, Gather Info +4, Handle Info +4, Handle Animal +4, Heal +1, Hide +9, Intimidate +4, Jump +2, Knowledge: Geography +7, Knowledge: Nature +10, Knowledge Nobility +5, Knowledge: Local (Cormyr) +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +7, Open Lock +13, Ride +6, Search +10, Sense Motive +1, Sleight of Hand +4, Spellcraft +3, Spot +8, Survival +6 (+8 when following tracks; +8 in aboveground natural environments; +10 when following tracks in aboveground natural environments); Swim +7, Tumble +5, Use Magic Device +4 (+6 with scrolls), Use Rope +4

Languages: Common, Dwarven, Halfling, Elvish

Class Features: Sneak Attack (2d6), Trapfinding, Wild Empathy, Favored Enemy (Zhentarim), Combat Style (2-weapon fighting)

Feats: Diligent, Nimble Fingers, AP: Light, WP: Simple, WP: Martial, Evasion, Trap Sense, Weapon Finesse, Track, Endurance, Alertness

* The more I've played Temeris, the more I start to think he may actually be Lawful Good instead of Chaotic Good.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Robinson Gruesome [Cthulhu]


With icy roads curtailing my birthday plans somewhat, an alternative took the form of spending the afternoon running a Call of Cthulhu session for The Wife. I used the scenario Robinson Gruesome from the excellent collection Monophobia: A Fear of Solitude, which consists of three adventures designed for just one Keeper and one PC. With little or no prep time, I found Robinson Gruesome easy to run and play, and The Wife and I had a great time.

The scenario began with The Wife's character, Dabnus Uxbridge (a hardboiled detective and crimebuster) on board a small two-passenger plane over the Pacific on the trail of Alexander Dane, a dashing adventurer who had gone missing in the area some months earlier. When the plane's engines went kaput and a crash was imminent, with only a small deserted island available to land on (or near, in this case), the reason for the pun in the title and similarities to the beginning of Lost became apparent. Although the plane's pilot was killed by a shark shortly after it crash-landed near the island, Dabnus survived the short swim and washed up on the beach. He made do for about a week before spotting a canoe approaching, containing six native warriors, a native priest, and a sacrifice intended for a volcanic chimney in the center of the island. Not exactly politically correct or historically accurate for the vast majority of native cultures, but, in any event, Dabnus waited until the natives were about to throw their poor sacrifice into the volcanic chimney and then jumped out of hiding, setting off flares, firing his pistol in the air, and dancing around like a madman. He scared away some of the warriors, and then shot another warrior and the priest into unconsciousness. When the Son of Dagon (a monstrous Deep One) appeared to claim his sacrifice, a good Luck roll resulted in the wounded and unconscious priest being eaten instead. In the style of pulp adventures of the time period (1920s and 1930s), the remaining natives recognized Dabnus as some sort of spiritual being and followed his directions to take him off the island in their canoe. After a short voyage at sea, the canoe reached the native village; and waiting there was the object of Dabnus' search, Alexander Dane.

As always, the fun thing with gaming is how almost nothing goes according to script. According to the scenario, the PC was supposed to lose all of his equipment in the crash; I enforced this as much as I could, but The Wife emphasized that, as the plane was going down, the one thing Dabnus was making sure he held on to was his pistol (and a successful Luck roll kept the ammo dry and intact). Having a pistol then changed subsequent events, as Dabnus did exactly what the scenario stated no sane PC would ever do: challenge the priest and warriors the first time they came to the island. With some great rolls and rewards for clever strategy, Dabnus emerged more-or-less unscathed by the adventure. Perhaps not what was intended, but we had a lot of fun and helped to flesh out a brand new PC who might appear in a future campaign. So all in all, a good time and we're looking forward to trying the other two scenarios in the collection in the near future.

NFL 2011 Week 17 Predictions

The final week of the regular season! I made some risky picks this time around, in the hopes of a dramatic comeback!


Panthers @ Saints

-------------------------

The Wife: Saints

Me: Saints

Steve: Saints


Bills @ Patriots

------------------------

The Wife: Patriots

Me: Patriots

Steve: Patriots


Bears @ Vikings

-----------------------

The Wife: Bears

Me: Vikings

Steve: Bears


Jets @ Dolphins

----------------------

The Wife: Jets

Me: Dolphins (mainly because I have to make up ground somewhere . . .)

Steve: Jets


49ers @ Rams

-------------------

The Wife: 49ers

Me: 49ers

Steve: 49ers (“Tempted to pick StL as I think SF will have a letdown week . . .”)


Lions @ Packers

----------------------

The Wife: Packers

Me: Lions

Steve: Packers (“What could have been had they not overlooked KC . . .”)


Redskins @ Eagles

-------------------------

The Wife: Redskins

Me: Eagles

Steve: Eagles


Colts @ Jaguars

----------------------

The Wife: Jaguars

Me: Jaguars

Steve: Colts (“but with StL having their young QB in place they’ll still get Luck to replace Manning”)


Titans @ Texans

---------------------

The Wife: Texans

Me: Titans

Steve: Texans


Seahawks @ Cardinals

------------------------------

The Wife: Seahawks

Me: Cardinals

Steve: Seahawks


Chiefs @ Broncos

-------------------------

The Wife: Broncos

Me: Chiefs

Steve: Broncos (“completing a comeback to win the division no one would have seen when Tebow took over”)


Bucs @ Falcons

----------------------

The Wife: Falcons

Me: Falcons

Steve: Falcons


Ravens @ Bengals

-------------------------

The Wife: Ravens

Me: Bengals

Steve: Ravens


Steelers @ Browns

-------------------------

The Wife: Steelers

Me: Steelers

Steve: Steelers


Chargers @ Raiders

---------------------------

The Wife: Raiders

Me: Raiders

Steve: Chargers


Cowboys @ Giants

--------------------------

The Wife: Giants

Me: Cowboys

Steve: Giants

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Buffy Comic Project: "Past Lives" (Part 4)


Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 30

Dark Horse (Vol. 1, 1998-2003)

Creators: Christopher Golden & Tom Sniegoski (writers); Cliff Richards (pencils); Joe Pimentel (inks)

Setting: Season Four

T.V. Character Appearances: Buffy, Angel, Giles, Quentin Travers, Angelus (flashback only); Xander, Willow, Anya, Tara, Cordelia, Wesley, Riley

Major Original Characters: Sir Andrew Landry (vampire hunter; flashback only); Alexis Landry (evil former Watcher's Council operative)

Summary: At the hospital, Buffy, Angel, and Giles confer about what to do after Quentin Travers' vicious beating at the hands of Alexis Landry. Angel explains why it is that Alexis hates him so much: because a century and a half earlier, Angelus tortured Alexis' ancestor, Sir Andrew Landry. While Xander, Anya, and Wesley guard an injured Cordelia in the hospital, Buffy, Giles, and Angel decide to provoke fights with Alexis' demon minions in a bid to draw her out of hiding. Meanwhile, Willow and Tara visit a magic supply store. A demon attack on Cordelia is quickly driven off by her protectors, but soon after, Alexis ambushes Angel and paralyzes him with a magic dagger. Buffy and Alexis fight, but Alexis is defeated after Willow and Tara cast a spell to strip her of all magical charms and protective devices. Standing over an unconscious Alexis, Buffy says it will be up to Quentin Travers to decide on punishment. Later that day, Buffy and Angel say wistful goodbyes, and Buffy heads back to Sunnydale to find Riley.

Review: Again, some really strong characterization: Angel & Buffy's interaction and sad parting is handled quite well and could easily be envisioned as happening on the small screen, while Willow and Tara share some nice moments. Not much is done with Angel's crew, but one assumes they got more of the spotlight in his part of the crossover. Not having read the other two parts, I'm not quite sure why Alexis is so enraged about something that happened to her ancestor a good 15 decades earlier, but all in all this was a strong story and a big improvement over some past efforts in the Buffy comic.

Notes
* In-house ads indicate a new writing team will take over starting next issue.

* Here's a shot of poor Riley in the final panel of the comic, sitting alone and reading that great work of scholarship, Cliff's History. Don't worry dude, Buffy kept her hands off Angel. Mostly.

* The solicitations for this issue state that "After the dust settles, the lives of Buffy and Angel will never be the same." Okay . . .

Next Issue

NFL 2011 Week 16 Round-Up

Just one week in the regular season and then the playoffs left, and The Wife and I are still fighting to not be in last place!

Texans @ Colts
------------------
The Wife: Texans
Me: Colts
Steve: Texans
WINNER: Colts (I just don't see the Texans going far in the playoffs . . .)

Raiders @ Chiefs
------------------------
The Wife: Raiders
Me: Chiefs
Steve: Raiders
WINNER: Raiders

Jaguars @ Titans
----------------------
The Wife: Jaguars
Me: Titans
Steve: Jaguars
WINNER: Titans

Dolphins @ Patriots
--------------------------
The Wife: Patriots
Me: Patriots
Steve: Patriots
WINNER: Patriots

Cardinals @ Bengals
--------------------------
The Wife: Bengals
Me: Cardinals
Steve: Cardinals
WINNER: Bengals

Broncos @ Bills
----------------------
The Wife: Broncos
Me: Broncos
Steve: Broncos
WINNER: Bills (sets up a fun Tebow vs. Orton showdown next week . . .)

Rams @ Steelers
----------------------
The Wife: Steelers
Me: Steelers
Steve: Steelers
WINNER: Steelers (did anyone foresee the Rams being this bad this year?)

Giants @ Jets
-------------------
The Wife: Giants
Me: Jets
Steve: Jets
WINNER: Giants

Vikings @ Redskins
--------------------------
The Wife: Redskins
Me: Redskins
Steve: Redskins
WINNER: Vikings

Bucs @ Panthers
---------------------
The Wife: Panthers
Me: Panthers
Steve: Panthers
WINNER: Panthers (going to be in contention in the division next year)

Browns @ Ravens
------------------------
The Wife: Ravens
Me: Ravens
Steve: Ravens
WINNER: Ravens

Chargers @ Lions
-----------------------
The Wife: Chargers
Me: Chargers
Steve: Chargers
WINNER: Lions

Eagles @ Cowboys
-------------------------
The Wife: Cowboys
Me: Cowboys
Steve: Eagles
WINNER: Eagles

49ers @ Seahawks
-----------------------
The Wife: 49ers
Me: 49ers
Steve: 49ers
WINNER: 49ers

Bears @ Packers
----------------------
The Wife: Packers
Me: Packers
Steve: Packers
WINNER: Packers

Falcons @ Saints
----------------------
The Wife: Saints
Me: Saints
Steve: Saints
WINNER: Saints (Brees deserves all the hoopla setting that passing record brings him)

THIS WEEK

The Wife: 10-6
Me: 9-7
Steve: 9-7

CUMULATIVE

The Wife: 143-100
Me: 143-100
Steve: 154-89