The Fun Zone

Some of you may have heard my grumblings about the vampire romance story that I had been working on. I couldn't share any details at the time, but now the book is out for all to enjoy:

Dark Dream by Christine Feehan. It's part of the Dark Series, Book 7 to be exact, about a race of vampire hunters known as the Carpathians. The Carpathians have many of the same traits and abilities as vampires, and will eventually become the demons that they hunt, unless they find their true love, their lifemate. The result is a tender romance with a bunch of bloodsucking and paranormal violence. Fun for the whole family! Except anybody under the age of, say, 14. Because of the vampire sex.

Happy listening!

Today was a big day in the world of audiobooks. Today, the Audie nominations were announced! Don't worry if you missed it. As far as I know, there wasn't a press conference on the morning news. We had to settle for an online press release.

The Audies are like the Oscars of the audiobook world. Presented by the Audio Publisher's Association, the awards honor the best recordings in several categories over the past year. So, I was scanning the press release, trying to see if I recognized any of the names, when I came across the Science Fiction/Fantasy category:

Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.
Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke, Narrated by Eric Michael Summerer, Audible, Inc.
Ghost Radio, by Leopoldo Gout, Narrated by Pedro Pascal, HarperAudio
Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, Narrated by David Kelly, Full Cast Audio
Sunrise Alley, by Catherine Asaro, Narrated by Hillary Huber, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wait, what? I stared at the screen for some time. I had read "Childhood's End" on the list, and my first thought was "that's weird, somebody else read Childhood's End. Huh." Then I thought it might be some sort of elaborate joke. Then everything got a little fuzzy while my brain tried to work things out. The Kid finally yelled at me from his high chair, snapping me out of my reverie. He may have thrown a Cheerio at me, but I'm not really sure.

So there you have it. My recording has been named one of the five best Sci-Fi/Fantasy recordings of the past year. There's a big awards gala in New York (they alternate between LA and NY each year) on May 29th. I'm pretty sure we'll be going, but I don't have all the details yet. Assuming that the bulk of the nominees attend, there could be some big names there. I saw Jim Dale on the list, as well as Tony Shalhoub, Neil Gaiman, Bronson Pinchot, Garrison Keillor, Wayne Night, John Slattery, and Lewis Black. Also of note is that I took an audiobook seminar with Hillary Huber, one of my fellow nominees, a few years back. It will be cool to see her again.

I've got to start looking for a tux...

The full list of nominees is here. Wish me luck!

Wow. I missed out on a great gift-giving suggestion. Well, at least a great suggestion for your friends and relatives who own a PSP.

Mytran Wars, my latest video game adventure, was released around Thanksgiving. Is it a bad sign that Amazon is already out of stock, with no plans to get more? At least you can see a video of the gameplay. Sadly, no audio from the cutscenes. I haven't seen the game in action, but it appears to be very Starcraft-like, with a hint of Final Fantasy Tactics going on.

Track it down, and buy several copies! Come on! It'll be fun!

LEVEL UP!

Class: Human
Level: 0 -> 1
Height: 21.5" -> 31"
POINTS REMAINING UNTIL SPACE MOUNTAIN CLEARANCE: 13
Weight: 8 lb 3 oz -> 24 lb 6 oz
CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR MASS HAS TRIPLED!
Head Circumference: 37 cm -> 47.8 cm
Dialogue skills mastered:
"Dada"
"Mama"
"Papa"
"Nana"
"Bob"
"Bye-bye"
"Gooh guh" (Good Girl, said to the dog, whether she's being good or not)
"Rar Rar Rar!" (Barking)
"Pih tay" (Pretty)

Happy Birthday, Little Man.

Some time ago, I talked about some of the play-by-web options that are out there for playing board games. As getting out of the house to play has become more difficult, this option has become far more attractive. Imagine, then, my excitement at finding two more ways to scratch that gaming itch without needing to set aside a big chunk of time.

MaBiWeb was suggested to me by a friend after we had played a game of Amun Re at SpielByWeb. He suggested that I learn to play In The Shadow of the Emperor so I could join a game they were starting up. MBW is very similar to SBW, with a limited number of games (9). In addition to ItSotE, MBW features Richelieu (a great two-player game based on Web of Power), Hansa, and Samurai. The interfaces for the various games are very close to the board versions, and it's very clear what you need to do on each turn. My only complaint comes with In the Shadow of the Emperor, which runs very slowly for me. It takes a minute or to to make each move. Other than that, though, the system works very well.

Yucata.de is a new discovery of mine, based on a link from MaBiWeb. The basic site's in German, but a simple click switches everything over to English. There are more games here than at MBW, including Atta Ants, Masons, and Hey, That's My Fish. The interface has a different feel that what I'm used to, but so far the system works quickly, and you can't beat the game selection. There's even a ranking system and simple chat window on the home page. I'm looking forward to exploring this system further.

So... anybody want to play a game? I've started a game of Samurai for four players at MaBiWeb. You can use the link on the sidebar. Here's the info:

Title: The Zone of Fun
Password: funzone

Come on! Let's play!

My latest contribution to Audible's assortment of goodies is Vernor Vinge's Fast Times at Fairmont High. It's a futuristic sci-fi short story in which children are constantly surrounded by technology, networked together at every turn. A few of them, in the guise of a school assignment, go on an adventure to uncover some shady goings-on in town.

On the horizon: a sci-fi classic in which dark is the new light, a young-adult adventure in which New York City is much more than it seems, and a healthy dose of vampire lovin'. I'll tell you more when I'm allowed to do so.

Happy Listening!

This time: Monastery by Gary Dicken, Phil Kendell and Steve Kendell, published by Ragnar Brothers

Monastery is a tile-laying and action point management game in which players construct parts of a medieval monastery. Players have a hand of tiles behind their screens, each depicting features like buildings, roads, and gardens. On your turn, you play a tile to the board and move your monk tokens around in order to score points. Tiles played to the board aren’t automatically built, however. They’re played face down, and require a certain number of monks to complete it. The more complex the building, the more monks will be required to work on it. You’ll often have to work together with other players to finish the larger tiles. In addition to helping to build tiles, your monks can work or study on specific tiles, execute the power of some special tiles on the board, or kneel to pray if nobody else is around. The pieces actually tip forward into a kneeling position, a neat touch. Praying provides more points than simply working or studying, but that monk has to stay put for a while, and you won’t be able to use his movement points until he stands up again. The points you earn each round are spent on letter tiles and additional monks, which get more expensive as they’re purchased. Your ultimate goal is to use those tiles to fill in a nine-letter phrase in front of your screen, counting 3 victory points for each one you buy. You can also purchase letters for your opponents, blocking that space on their mat, and preventing them from earning those points. It’s a tactical game with a need to be a bit nasty, but it’s one of my favorites of the year. 8/10

Yeah, so I told you my gaming would be down this year. 2007 had me playing 176 games. 2008 had only 104. And even that's an inflated number, because I logged 20 games of Loopin' Louie during Lindberg's wedding weekend. Once you remove chicken-based children's dexterity games, my top selections for the year are Age of Steam, Agricola, Race for the Galaxy, and Wits and Wagers, at only three plays each.

That's what having a baby does for the game schedule, folks. That is, unless you're Tom Vasel, who I'm convinced uses some sort of time dilation device to play the games that he does and still take care of five kids.

Anyway, at least 2009 is off to a good start, with both Dominion and Battlestar Galactica hitting the table last night. I hope to play lots more of both games. Dominion is a fantastic filler, lasting no more than 30 minutes, but offering lots of great deck-building choices. Battlestar is the most thematically immersive game I've played in a long time. Any fan of the show should check it out. Come on over! Bring friends! It plays up to six!

Happy New Year!

The full list...

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It's two (short) CD reviews for the price of one (free)!

The Arrogant Worms: Torpid

Okay, I'm a little late with this one, and it's not Canada's fault. They sent me the CD pretty quickly. I'd say it's the fastest delivery I've experienced from a Constitutional Monarchy. At any rate, Torpid is in my grubby little hands, and I am enjoying its zany goodness. Much like the Toast album, this album was recorded in front of a live audience, so we get to hear much of the interaction with the audience between songs. In fact, the CD's producers wisely break up some of the longer bits of banter into separate tracks, so you can choose to partake (or not) of the talkety talk. I'm glad the material's there. It really reminds me of how much fun it is to see these guys in person. (And before I forget: Saturday February 28th, West Hartford, CT. Who's in?)

While it's not my favorite of the Worms' albums, not quite reaching the level of Toast or Dirt, Torpid has a lot to like about it. "Big Box Store" made me laugh the first time I heard it, as did "My Neighbor's Learning Saxophone." The highlight of the album, though, is "Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah," in the style of a 1980's era British pop band. It's the story of a guy who basically ignores his significant other, and when she leaves him, he doesn't notice for about a month. Then the song becomes a fugue for no reason. Trust me. It's funny. And it gets stuck in your head. I even got The Kid to start singing "Blah, Blah, Blah" with me on the chorus.

Overall, it's a good purchase, and a welcome return for my favorite Canadian Comedy/Folk Trio.

Logan Whitehurst and The Junior Science Club: Goodbye My 4-Track

Over the summer, while I was ordering my new Demento Society Membership Package, I decided to throw a Logan Whitehurst album into the mix. I gave the CD a once over when it arrived, but for some reason iTunes didn't want to rip it in, so it never made it into heavy iPod rotation. Once I got the new laptop, with a much-improved optical drive, I was able to finally give this album its due.

Yes, I know I could have actually listened to the CD, in the car or something, but that's not the way the kids listen to music these days. Get with the program, gramps!

Anyway, I really should have paid more attention to this one earlier, because it's brilliant. Whitehurst's music seems to me to be a cross between They Might Be Giants, Moxy Fruvous, and Jonathan Coulton. It's firmly in the novelty territory, but it sometimes has a sort of contemplative tone that Coulton likes to evoke, and "Prosthetic Brain" could easily have been a TMBG tune. I was already a fan of "Robot Cat" from the Demento albums, and "A Word From Farkle" is just rapid zany fun. "Happy Noodle vs. Sad Noodle" has been stuck in my head for days, and the hidden bonus track "Monkeys Are Bad People" is a fantastically paranoid rant from a father to son after the kid asks for a banana and the dad thinks he's harboring an evil monkey in his backpack.

Sadly, Whitehurst passed away a few years ago at a very young age, and now I realize why the Novelty community was so hard-hit by his loss. There's at least one more album out there for me to grab, Very Tiny Songs, made up of 81 tracks, none more than 90 seconds long. If the rest are anything like "The Villain Who Wears No Pants," I'm in.

Highly recommended.

This time: Power Grid China by Friedemann Friese, published by Rio Grande Games.

The latest map to be released for my favorite game is the China/Korea expansion for Power Grid. Now, while Tom is understandably all about the Korea side of the board, I’d like to talk specifically about China. While previous expansions have offered little more than minor rule tweaks in addition to the new terrain, the China map presents a fundamental shift in the way the game is played. In the basic game, if you recall, power plants are drawn randomly and then placed in order, forming a current and future market. For the bulk of the game, players can only purchase from the current market made up of the lower numbered, and therefore less efficient, plants. After a purchase, a new plant is drawn, the plants are reordered, and a new auction begins. My buddy’s chief gripe with the game comes when a lucky draw lets a player get a really nice plant early, and then everybody else is stuck with the outdated technology for several rounds. China changes this, as the first 30 or so plants come out in numerical order, and no new plants are drawn in the middle of the auction round, so there are no surprises. Furthermore, aside from the first round, a number of plants one fewer than the number of players is available each round, so at least one player won’t be able to purchase one. This decrease in luck, coupled with a built-in scarcity of resources, breathes new life into an already fantastic game. It’s a whole new way to play. 10/10.