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By admin, March 3, 2010 2:28 am

A long while ago, or at least it seems so now, I pre-ordered Washington’s War from GMT. It’s the first time I’ve ever signed onto something on the P500. Now at the time I ordered it I was loving the Civil War themed For The People. When looking up the designer of FtP, Mark Herman, I came across We The People. I wanted to give it a try, but due to it being OOP and expensive I never picked it up. Someone though pointed me in the direction of Washington’s War which was being worked on so I decided to take the plunge.

A few months later though I got the chance to play Hannibal: Rome Vs Carthage and We The People. I took a dislike to both games because there seemed to be very little going on, other then area control.  I didn’t particularly dislike the battlecards, although they did have some problems. But the game themselves tended to be a lot of time placing and flipping control markers and very little war. I was tempted to cancel my order but I decided to hold out.

Today I couldn’t be any happier I did. First off, visually, the components will just blow you away. Its obvious that GMT put a lot of money and work into the game. The map itself is massive, and every section has some useful information on it. The cards are nice, the Rulebook and Playbook were in color which is a first for me.

I broke it out and gave it a play on my table. Although I made some rule mistakes, along with some awful dice rolls for the Americans (of course) it was fun. The first turn was really all about placing PCs, but the rest of the game involved a lot more battles and movement then I was used to with WtP or H:RvC. Battles are decided by DRM (dice roll modification) now. While the British naturally get a +1 for their regulars and another +1 due to the Royal Navy while in port, the Americans have chances to counter that based on colonial control where the battle takes place (+1 to the controller) and the Americans with a Leader can retreat before battle.

Now onto the basics of the game before I get ahead of myself. For the most part there are cards worth 1,2 or 3 operations points. There are also cards for special events but we’ll get to that. With the Operation cards you can either move a leader of an equivalent rating (a 1 can move a 1, a 2 can move a 1 or a 2 and so on) place an equivalent political control marker depending on restrictions or bring in reinforcements. There are also event cards for each side. Since the cards are side specific you can’t play them if they are for the other side. But in the past you had to discard them. Now you can discard them but flip a PC, or you can use them to add to your DRM before a battle. Using them in a battle allows you to draw another card. Discarding does not, but it does allow the other player to discard a card in order to pick up the event.

When you battle you go through a checklist to see where you can gain DRM. It’s rather easy. First off if there are any Generals you roll to see if they get to use their whole rating. A roll of 1-3 cuts that rating in half, a roll of 4-6 allows them to use it. You then add the number of CUs to each sides DRM with the General’s rating. The British can gain +1 for their regulars no matter where they are (but they can lose this +1 during the game). They also gain a +1 if they are in a port and the French Navy isn’t blockading. Either side can gain another +1 if the colony the battle is taking place in is loyal to their side. The Americans can also gain a +1 if it was an intercept. You add up the DRMs, roll a six sided dice and if the Attacker is equal or more then the Defenders, the attacker wins. The Defender must retreat (British in port can retreat via sea anywhere) and you roll for losses. The most the attacking side can lose is one CU. Each American Victory moves the French one spot closer to Alliance. If the Americans cause the British to lose 3 CUs, then the British lose their Regular bonus and the French marker moves 3 spaces.

I took pictures during play, but because of bad lighting half of them came out blurry, so I’m going to just add them to this post as a gallery. They should go in the order I took them so you might get a feel for some of the battle. Basically the Brits just destroyed everything I sent to the South, and Bendict Arnold not being able to move south and re-inforce the small army there decided the game. In short, here’s my view.

Pros:
Wonderful Production Quality
Much tighter game
More fighting and less positioning
Operations Que means you can save up OPs
New Discard rules allow a lot more flexibility
The Map is massive and full of information
The 50/50 Chance that a General might not live up to his ability.

Cons:
Lack of flavor to a lot of cards (They just read off 1 Op/2 Op/3 Op)
Low amount of event cards (half a deck out of 2 decks)
Fortified Ports/Winter Quarters have no effect on battles

Trust me though, the Cons are nothing that should keep you away from this great game. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a grand strategic game of the Revolutionary War.

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By admin, February 21, 2010 11:39 pm

These are mostly from the last two decades or so. It seems like there are always a few goalies who the powers that be proclaim to be the next big thing. Yet goalie is one of the most interesting positions in any sport. Your the only player who plays the whole game, just about every minute.  Sometimes a team and a goalie just don’t mesh, sometimes a backup is just meant to stay backup. Here are some of the more memorable ones.

Damian Rhodes

People were talking about him just needing a chance for a while. That chance wasn’t coming with Felix “The Cat” Potvin in net. He eventually made his way to the awful but improving Ottawa Senators. Splitting time with Also-Ran Ron Tugnutt it slowly became clear that Rhodes had peaked while Tugnutt continued to improve and won the job. He was then picked up by the Thrashers, who proceeded to be one of the all time worst expansion teams. Although it can be argued that his struggles weren’t all his fault, his time in Atlanta was the end of his career. From promising Backup to out of the league in only Six years.

Eric Fichaud

Another former Leaf. The 16th overall pick in 1994 was talked of as the “Next Roy”.  By now that’s almost a warning sign not to pick up a goalie. Although impressive in the AHL, Milbury had told anyone that would listen that this kid was the future of the franchise. He was called up far too early, and through three years on the Island he lost the starting job to Tommy Salo. Following his last season as an Islander he never again reached double digit games and became the quintessential journeyman goalie a team picked up when it needed a cheap backup or third stringer. His last NHL playing time was in 2001, meaning another goalie from promising elite to out of the league in only six years.

Dan Cloutier

Growing up in NYC, I never heard the end of it about Cloutier. He was the next big thing, and the overrated Goon and his run in with Salo always annoyed me. I knew his trade to the Lightning was going to be his ending. It would have been a majority of the time. Two seasons with a sub .900 sv% looked like the end of the road for him. Unfortunately the Canucks grabbed him off the scrap heap and put a NHL caliber team in front of him. He still struggled as a starter before being shipped off to the Kings when the team got Roberto Luongo. Out of hockey now, he’s so infamous for being a bad goalie that there’s a picture of him with a beach ball in the net.

Garth Snow

The Poor Flyers. Every few years their backup gets hot in the playoffs, they think they have finally taken care of their weak goalie position, he ends up being a bust the next season. Snow was highly touted in the time between his being drafted and making the NHL. He had an incredible run. Ending up in Philly behind Hextall,he got hot and helped lead the Flyers to the Confrence finals. The following year there was High expectations, but he didn’t really pan out and Hextall was back as starter. A few more years in Vancouver, Penguins and finally a few years (with one outstanding season) for the Islanders before calling it quits. He is far above expectations when it comes to being a General Manager.

Marc Denis

Another one of those “Next Patrick Roy” he was helped by playing behind Roy himself. A Former first rounder, he had two really good seasons behind Roy before being tagged in the expansion draft by Columbus. In four years in Columbus he did have two outstanding seasons, but could never get to the 30 Win plateau. After being traded to the Lightning he hit career lows with a .889 SV% Followed by a .859 and a later stint with Montreal he only managed a .857 SV%. His career is all but over already.

Mike Dunham

A lot of Jersey Goalies could take this spot. But Dunham, drafted the same year as Brodeur had a lot of fans and pundits predicting greatness. The Devils themselves went so far as to (Claimed by his agent) underplay him so either he couldn’t be a RFA or he wouldn’t be in the Expansion Draft. In the end he was picked up the expansion Predators. He had some good seasons too, but injuries would continually pile on. When the Predators gave up on him and went with Vokoun, things wouldn’t get better. Of his next four seasons after the Predators he only managed to get back above a .900 SV% once, and that was his first year with the Rangers. Like another goalie on this list, he finished his career on the Island and ended up moving to become a coach at the end of his career. Meanwhile Brodeur is still protecting the crease in Jersey.

These are almost all going off memory and some checking via Wikipedia and HockeyDB. If I got anything wrong feel free to comment, My memory is not that good.

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By admin, January 25, 2010 10:43 am

Zion Councilor: Today we are here to decide who we will contract for the construction of APUs for our defense. We have Quality Zion Defense and Red Tag Defense.

Quality Zion Defense: Yes, our design not only includes large caliber guns and an intuitive movement system allowing anyone to use it. We also included high level magnets so the APUs can’t be knocked off platforms and body armor that encases the user. Given that Squids do not use projectile weapons we believe that this armor will insure the APUs are near invulnerable.

Red Tag Defense: We have designed nearly the same APU as Quality. We have discovered that without the magnets and body armor Zion can save a near fortune. The APUs should still be fine and able to fight off squids and anything else that might attack.

QZD: Councilor this is—

Councilor: We shall let the representative from Red Tag finish. We must consider every aspect of every design offered to us. The council must also consider the economy of Zion.

QZD: What economy? We don’t produce anything, we don’t sell anything. Actually the only thing that seems to happen regularly around here is the orgy in the temple and the complete waste of mud and water!

Councilor: Silence, the orgy in the temple is a tradition which can not be broken. We do not know how we could go on without the weekly traditional orgy in the temple.

RTD: I’ve noted that with my APU design the savings will allow us three more orgies in the temple then the Quality design. I can assure you that no Squid could possibly get close enough to the APUs to cause damage to personnel.

QZD: But if we just cancel three orgies in the temple we can easily afford to fully armor all APUs to a point of nearly invulnerable. The magnets will insure that an APU knocked off the many platforms and walkways that criss cross Zion.

Councilor: If you please, we will take it upon ourselves to make the best choices for the defense of Zion. We also must tend to the spiritual and economic needs of Zion. We shall take both designs now and consider both arguments before we make our decision.

(Council leaves chamber)

QZD: I can’t believe you stole my design and removed two of the most important aspects

RTD: What can I say, I love the orgies.

(Council returns)

Councilor: We have reviewed both designs and all considerations involved with those designs. It is our decision that we will go with the design from Red Tag Defenses. Traditions can not be broken, and we have nothing more to live for then the weekly Orgy in the temple.

QZD: But But But, Think of the lifes! Think of the City!

Councilor: Silence, the decision is final. Work is to begin immediately on these designs. We must be prepared for the possible attack as soon as possible.

RTD: Thank you Councilor, we will begin immediately.

QZD: (mumbles) I hate you.

Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions

Really, what were they thinking? The Sentinels appear to have no ability to attack at a distance. Instead they must move in close and swarm. So why did the APUs have NO ARMOR AROUND THE HUMAN! That might have been an important idea so they couldn’t tear people to shreds while they were inside the APUs. I’m going to do a longer review eventually, especially of the bullshit quasi-philosophy of both of them.

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By admin, January 24, 2010 2:40 am

I just figured some people would get a laugh out of this. I recently went on a tear and bought two Voltairine de Cleyre books. So I’m currently working on the Reader which contains all her major essays, minor essays, speeches and even poetry. So after the first few days I flip the book over and see a website for the press company. I decide to check it out, no biggie. Well it comes up blocked at work. So our work filters have a tag at the end to say why its blocked. Well, guess what, the press that printed my book is catgeorized as “Terror” Funny enough, theres a UK Site for the press as well which wasn’t blocked. The real question though, is how many libaries have this site blocked because of Filters? Who decides that this little Communitive Independent Press is a Terrorist organaztion?

So a few days later, I had told my mom about one of her Essays which was really good. Actually here’s a link to it since its a good read Free Thought Interestingly Enough that was the second version of it I had to find. Once again I was scanning through online archives at work and the first one came up blocked as Terror It just makes me scratch my head.

But hey, to top it off and make a complete circle, there’s such a thing as “Domestic Terrorists” Its actually a new label since 9/11. Currently there’s an elderly black women living in Cuba who is one of the most wanted Domestic Terrorists. Assata Shakur, who is wanted in the murder of a state trooper, escaped from prison in Jersey and got political asylum in Cuba. Now of course she’s been convicted, but from every legit expert whose worked on the case says that not only was she wounded early in the firefight, but it was impossible for her to have fired the gun with the wound she had and it would have been even tougher for her to have made the shot at the angle the cop got hit. But none of that matters, because she is now worth One Million Dollars. That’s right, a 120 pound 60 year old black woman is a Terrorist worth a million dollars. Not only that,but its not as though she’s been senselessly killing people for the last twenty years. She’s been relatively quiet and secluded as most bios about her drop off the map after she reaches Cuba.

But not only that, a good amount of Black Panthers who were previously jailed for a multitude of reasons find themselves being tagged as Domestic Terrorists and being held without reason, bail, or trial. Given that most of them were convicted on COINTELPRO bullshit its really a shame.

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By admin, January 18, 2010 3:47 am

As you can imagine I’m happier then a pig in shit right now. But for now let me show you two things.

Its absolute BS that this Jets fan was dragged from the Stadium for no reason. A Chargers fan even defended the Jets fan and got pulled from the Stadium to. I’m hoping everyone will help to pass this BS around.

Secondly, the picture of the game. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is worth even more.

Thank you again Nate Kaeding! Jets Nation loves you!

Now I don’t normally do this, but I ended up writing a much longer post over on SB Nation then I thought I would. So if you want to read up on my thoughts Just follow this link over there. I think its one of my better writeups in a while. I probably should have just copied and pasted it here instead of posting it there, but it’ll probably get more views there.