The story of my life...

Well, with summer approaching, I know I really, really need to start eating healthier and exercise more. I'm at a stage of life where it ain't so easy anymore to shed "winter poundage" and get into "summer shape."

So, starting today, I pledge to get back into reasonable shape. I plan to eliminate non-healthy snacks (I'll stick to fruit or veggies), eat as little meat as possible (for humane reasons, as well as health reasons), and really ramp on the fruits and veggies. Also, I need to make time for exercise everyday, even if it's just a long walk with Cheyenne.

Getting on the scale this morning, I had what I'd call an "epiphany," so I'm definitely ready to go, and, for me, that's always been 3/4 of the battle. Besides, by publicly posting this, I know I'll have to follow-through...

Leaving Comments...

I've had a few emails saying, to the effect, "I'll leave comments as soon as I figure out how."

It's easy -- just click on the word "COMMENTS" at the end of each post, and a dialog box will open allowing you to type in whatever you wish. Nice and easy!

Come on, you can do it!

Politics and Thirty Years War...

Before getting to last night's game, I wanted to publicly answer a private email I received. It asked, basically, "Is it OK to post about politics?" I guess there are 2 parts there for me -- if anyone wants to make a relevant post and bring in politics in a non-nasty way (y'all know what I mean), that's fine. However, for me, even though I have extremely strong views and we have the U.S. Presidential Election coming soon, I will avoid any political postings for two main reasons:

1. (Less important) -- I don't find people discussing politics very interesting, for no one changes anyone's mind, they just shout back and forth. Don't believe me? Check out the "Literary" folders (man, they're misnamed!) or many blogs on CSW...

2. (More important) -- I find it reprehensible when teachers of younger students (really all students, but I'd hope that older students wouldn't be as easily influenced) bring their politics into the classroom. I have taught with idiots who do this, and it's just wrong. I have heard kids tell me stories of teachers bashing Clinton and ones bashing Bush. Frankly, that isn't their job, and they're sticking their noses in places that should be reserved for parents. So, if a student of mine stumbles across my blog, I want them to leave here with the same question they leave my classroom with, "Who does Mr. W support politically?" They've never gotten this info from my classroom, and they won't get it from my blog.

Onto last night's game!

Bill Peeck came over last night, and we headed down to the dungeon to give Thirty Years War a shot. We randomly picked sides, and I got the "Catholics" while Bill got the "Protestants." These sides are for game purposes only, as it really wasn't as clear cut as that historically -- a "for instance" is Catholic France fighting on the "Protestant" side. But that really doesn't matter...

We set up the game together so we could get a layout of the board. There are many areas on the board, consisting of several cities each, and they are worth victory points (VPs), varying from 2 to 5. Armies move on the board city to city. Most cities are round spaces which are freely moved through, though there are some fortresses that must be besieged. There are also independent cities worth VPs that aren't part of areas, and "Electorates," both areas and cities, which are worth VPs. During setup, my main forces were in Vienna (Imperial Troops), the Spanish Netherlands, Bavaria, and a small force in Saxony. The Protestant forces were mainly north of the Austrians and Bavarians, with Hungary being in rebellion east of Vienna. Looking over my options, I wanted to end the Hungarian rebellion quickly and than head north with Austrians and Bavarians.

In this game, one gets 7 cards each turn and the cards drive the game. A card can be played for:

1. The event on the card.
2. Foreign Aid listed on the bottom

3. Recruiting of new Mercenary and Militia troops

4. Activation of leaders and their armies

5. As a die roll modifier (drm) in combat (combat cards [CC] only)

In addition, one can decide to not play a card which allows 1 free movement of a troop piece, a leader, or entering into Peace Negotiations (we never tried to Negotiate...)

Events:  Each card has an event such as leaders entering, Popes dying, mountain passes being closed/opened, abstracted fighting in the United Provinces (Holland), etc.  Playing a card like this puts the event into play.

Foreign Aid (FA): At the end of each turn, armies need to be paid or else they roll on the "Loot" table, raping the countryside!  Playing a card for FA puts $$$ in a player's pocket which can be used to pay troops (and prevent pillaging) at the end of a turn.  One never seems to have enough money.

Recruiting: Each card has a value of 1, 2, or 3.  The number is the number of recruiting tries leaders can make (but no individual leader may make more than 2 per card play).  One rolls on the recruiting table for either Mercenary (stronger) or Militia (easier to raise) troops, modifying the roll by the city's pillage level (0 is normal, 1 is moderate pillage, 2 is a city in ruins) and by "dynamic" leaders.  Other than a few event cards, this is the only way to get new troops into play!

Activation:  Leaders are rated 1-3.  A 1 card activates a 1 leader, a 2 card activates a 1 or 2 leader, while a 3 card activates a 1, 2, or 3 leader.  Activated leaders can move armies, fight battles, and conduct siege warfare.

Back to the game...

I roll the Austrians into Hungary and they win a battle.  The Hungarians retreat and the leader loss rolls (I forgot to mention, leaders die frequently in this game, most have a 20 or 30% chance of dying after any combat!) kill both the Austrian and Hungarian leader.  This loses me a good leader, as the replacement is a slug.  But it's worse for the Hungarians -- their rebel leader dies, and thus does the rebellion go down in flames.  Ouch!  I quickly bring Hungary back into the fold and head toward Saxony, to help my hard-pressed allies there.  Yes, Bill has been beating on the Saxons quite hard, and taking areas in northern Germany.

Turn 2 and 3 see the Spanish head to the United Provinces (UP) to cause trouble, while a Danish relief force lead by King Christian heads to the UP to bolster the Protestant cause!  The north of Germany is siding with the Protestants, while the south is liking the Catholics.  

Turns 4-7 see large armies facing off in Saxony while the Catholics manage to capture all Electorates.  The tide begins to turn in favor of the Catholics, though French and Swedish entry will soon bolster the Protestant side.

We're having fun, but in a rule look up for something else, we realize we neglected a very important rule.  We should have known -- earlier in the game Bill wondered aloud why more of the mapboard wasn't pillaged.  It did seem odd, in that troops not paid would do some looting, but all would be "fixed" by the beginning of next turn.  Well, the board should have looked worse, a lot worse, for the rule we forgot was:

When moving an army of 3-5 troops, place a Pillage 1 marker in any city along the route; and army of 6+ troops places a Pillage 2 marker or two Pillage 1 markers.

D'oh!!!

We realize that we've completely neglected a key part of the design! Moving around was waaaay too easy. Looting was too easy. We blew it!

So we decided to cut our losses, go back and reread the rulebook, and give it another shot next week.  Man, we were just both really getting into the game, and we find out we're misplaying the game, horribly.  I admit, I felt pretty stupid...

And that's why my report on the game wasn't very detailed -- we blew it we did.  Next time, I promise to get it right.

I hope...

Chalk one up for smart girls...

I intend to limit blog posts here to one a day, but sometimes news happens, and I just have to respond to it.

A few minutes ago I got off the phone with Deanna and she has been offered a FULL-TIME, probationary position teaching 7th and 8th Grade (the teachers "loop") English! She felt her best chance was for a long-term substitute position, but she impressed them so much she was offered the full-time job, on a tenure track.

I'm very, very proud of her, as she's worked her butt off these past 4 years, graduating summa cum laude from Nazareth College with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She's smart, engaging, and pretty cute, too (though that should only matter to me, LOL!) -- a district would have to be crazy NOT to want her!

Anyway, this is VERY GOOD news for us, and the locations of our 2 school districts put the house with the barn into play...

Thirty Years (of) Rules...

As I age, I've noticed that I don't have the patience for long rulebooks. In my youth, dissecting 30-40 pages of rules was nothing. Today, I see rules longer than 8 pages and I break out into a cold sweat. Really, I do...

So it was with some trepidation that I approached the Thirty Years War rulebook, one that measures 20+ pages. Now, this is a card-driven game (CDG) and my brain seems to understand CDGs pretty well. So much can be explained on the cards, which is good, in my opinion. So that alone made the rulebook seem a bit smaller. On the other hand, my past experience with the game wasn't that great, so I knew I'd need to balance out biases. But one thing about wargames drives me nuts -- exceptions. Most games have them (and they're needed to some extent, as not every square peg can be fit into a round hole), but this game seems to have a ton of them -- 3 pages of rules on what each nation can/cannot do. Headache time, I expect a lot of flipping back and forth with the rulebook. I hope Bill's memory is better than mine.

But I made it through, and I think I have a decent understanding of the mechanics. Like any new game (and this is "new" in the sense I haven't touched it for 6 or so years), we'll make mistakes, but I think we'll get through it OK. But those rules, man, it was a tough slog.

And it's been that way for me for a while. Most new games I've learned and played over the past 5 years or so have been on the "simple" side (not all, certainly, but I tend to gravitate that way). I also have pretty much concentrated on CDGs, as having "rules" on cards I don't have to memorize is a big help. I'm also playing more euros (non-wargame boardgames like Settlers of Catan, for instance) now, as the rules are easier.

So, I'm wondering today where this leaves me. Will my wargaming future be in only the easiest fare, or can I still tackle to "big boys" when I want to? I just don't know, frankly, but I do know I don't have much tolerance for rules anymore. The less the better. The more, my head begins to hurt.

When I have time (soon, I hope), I'll post my thoughts on different types/mechanics in games and my likes/dislikes. This also drives how many pages of rules I can "take."

Jobs and Bunnies...

Yesterday Deanna had to teach a lesson at a district she'd interviewed with.  I guess it went well, as they called her back and later and set up an appointment for her to meet with the Superintendent on Thursday.  It will most likely be a long-term substitute position, for a woman who's going out on maternity leave through January, though it could be longer, one never knows.  An outside chance for a full-time position, but it looks like an internal candidate has the inside track there.  However, she's smart and engaging (what's she doing with me again?) and any school district would be silly to take a pass on her.  I don't want to jinx her chances tomorrow, so I'll go into more detail once she has something secured -- this area of the country has a real "glut" of teachers, so getting a job here is very, very tough.  I would certainly be open to moving to an area that needs teachers, but then I'd give up 10 years in the retirement system, not a smart option.  They keep you with promises of riches (LOL!) in the future.  Really, though, it would be pretty stupid to give up a cushy retirement in 10-15 years unless something extraordinary came along.

Keep your fingers crossed for her.

After that bit of good news, we decided to go out and get Cheyenne a new kennel to stay in during the day.  She came kennel-trained, and is happy to sleep in hers while we're at work.  However, I've always felt that hers was a tad too small, as she can't really sit up or stand up in it completely.  Not a problem when she's sleeping, but still...  So, we went to PetSmart and got her a new, larger one.  This will give her a lot more freedom and, I hope, happiness during the days -- at least it will be easier for her to get a good stretch in!  

She was very excited to go to the store with us.  Many new dogs (mostly puppies) were met, and Cheyenne had a lot of fun.  She was entranced by a big cockatoo, and eventually had to be led away from it when she began barking.  I know, she just wanted to play, but the bird wasn't thrilled...  The store there has a "Pet Hotel" which we'll look into for boarding, though the place we currently take her, Boomtowne, has been fine (just a little out of the way in Canandaigua).  There is also 1 on 1 training given at the store, and that's something else I need to look into.

Cheyenne also got 2 new toys -- just like taking a little kid shopping.

So we get home, set up the crate, and Deanna and I both get some work done.  Before crashing, I let Cheyenne out.  Usually, in the evenings, she'll bark at the back door when she's ready to come in.  After about 5 minutes and no barking, I call her, no response.  My first thought is, "Shit, someone opened a gate and she's gotten out."  So I run down to the backyard, calling her, expecting that I'll be doing this through the neighbors' yards, hoping she hasn't gotten off our cul-de-sac.  But the gates are closed, and she's huddled down by the back fence, and I guess (correctly) why she hasn't come -- she's caught another rabbit.  Number three this spring.  They squeeze in through the fence at various locations, then panic when Cheyenne runs down there and forget how to get out.  The dog's like greased lightning, and almost always gets them (she's 3 for 4 that I know of so far in 2008).  When there's light outside, I always check the yard first, and scare the rabbits away before I let her out.  But when it's dark, like at 11:00 PM, well...

I got her away from the carcass and cleaned the blood and fur off her mouth before turning in.  Not a fun pre-bedtime ritual, as I really don't like her killing the wildlife that inhabits the yard (save for the squirrels -- she's gotten 3 of those, and that's fine with me).  Of course, being a happy dog, she's all proud of herself and struts up to bed.

I figure I'll deal with the body tomorrow after school, and take her out front this morning on a leash before I head to work.  But when I come down this morning, I see a couple of crows by the dead bunny, and one has something bloody in its beak.  I go out and chase them away to see that they've pecked out and eaten an eye and some brain matter.  I get a few bags and pick up the bunny, figuring it doesn't deserve this indignity.  I know, circle of life and all that, but not in my backyard this morning.

Fun.

Finally, the Thirty Years War game with Bill is scheduled for Thursday evening.  Gotta finish up on the rules and keep bunnies out of the yard...

13-10 and Ravaging Europe...

Well, Syracuse did it -- they beat the hated Johns Hopkins Blue Jays for the NCAA Division I Lax Title, 13-10. Syracuse dominated the game, and it could have easily been 20-10, but the Hopkins goalie made some amazing saves. Syracuse's 6 on 6 offense was just wonderful -- they were very patient and that paid off in many good scoring opportunities. This was #10 for Syracuse, more than any other Division I program.

Life be good when your team wins. Especially when they win in Foxborough over a "greened-out" Patriot logo! Finally, something worth watching in that stadium.

In wargaming news it looks like Bill and I will definitely be tackling Thirty Years War by GMT. It's one I haven't looked at in years. My memories of it aren't very fond, but, I hope, the rules changes made since I've last played will make it a better game. Two points stuck with me as being completely unsatisfying -- the "Draw Spread" of victory points was something like a 20 point range, so games almost always ended in a draw. Yuck. Also, "Foreign Aid" was supposed to be important, but was lost in the shuffle as neither side bothered with it. New optionals make Foreign Aid something both sides need. I still have to go over the rules and set up a time to play, I'm thinking Thursday. I will post a full report once the game gets going.

Otherwise, Mike and I are continuing our monster game of Red Storm Over the Reich by Compass. This game is about the last 4 months of the 3rd Reich, as Soviet forces just overwhelm the German defenders. We're on game #2, and Mike's Soviets are closing in on Berlin. I'm counting on him running out of time, but it will be close. In our first game, Mike retreated too quickly (I would have done the same -- 1st games in wargaming are often "learning" games where "rookie" mistakes are made) and the Soviets were able to overrun enough cities after 3 turns for an Auto Victory. This game uses basic concepts and some clever mechanics to keep things interesting, but I imagine this will be my last game of Red Storm. Hex games where one side moves everything and fights, then the other side does the same, just aren't my cup of tea, so to speak. But I have to do some grading, so a missive on my wargaming likes/dislikes and the categories today's games fall into will have to wait for another day.

Syracuse Lacrosse, Cleaning, and Ribs...

In about 3 hours, my favorite Syracuse Orange will face off with the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays to determine the Division I lax championship. They've played in the championship 4 previous times, each winning 2. Also, both schools are tied for the Division I record with 9 national championships -- the winner today will bring home #10, and bragging rights.


When I used to live in the Washington, DC area, the Memorial Day Weekend "Final Four" was always held in College Park, at the University of Maryland (this year it's in Foxborough, MA). I faithfully went (Syracuse never missed a Final Four during my 10+ years in the area) and always had a great time. I think I need to plan for the future and go to a Final Four again, as it always was a wonderful experience -- especially wonderful when SU won, which they often did.

But this year I'll be watching on ESPN, then grading some Roman projects students have done.

Also, we're putting the house on the market soon as we need to move. Our current place is much too big, and Deanna's kids won't be living here anymore. S, finally, it will just (mostly) be us, and we'll be able to get a place we can call our own. I'm holding out for a big game room, and there's even a house for sale with a barn we like that has me wondering -- a game out building? Too cool!

One thing I've been doing this weekend is organizing and packing up games. I really need to sell off a bunch, as the money would be nice and that will mean less to move. I'm debating whether to go to CSW's marketplace, BGG's marketplace, or just look for suckers on ebay. But it really is a pain to sell these things. Why do I have so many games?

Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out as I go. Deanna's cooking ribs today and we're supposed to get intermittent thunderstorms today, so I guess it will be an "inside" day. But it isn't raining yet, so maybe I'll get Cheyenne a little exercise first, or she'll be bouncing off the walls.

And finally, I always do use each Memorial Day to remember the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice, so that I may live as I do, playing games and eating ribs -- and I'm not saying that flippantly. Thank you.

Lilacs...

Took a beautiful, relaxing walk with Cheyenne and Deanna last night through Highland Park. Most of the lilacs are past peak, but many other flowers are in full bloom (as are some lilacs), especially the azaleas. Cheyenne met about 10 other dogs, so she was quite excited!

Spring truly is something to savor in this town.

Today I need to take Cheyenne up to Irondequoit shortly to run (and this is a good excuse for me to stop at Starbucks). I'm also close to finishing "Little Stalker." This book has been expensive, with gas prices and all, not to mention the fine I'll have to pay! Then I need to do some work around the homestead, as our upcoming move means we've got to get this place shining! Next game on the horizon is probably Thirty Years War by GMT. I played this when it first came out, 5 or 6 years ago, and was disappointed in how it played. But the rules have been redone, and several folks whose opinion I trust seem to like it, so it's certainly worth another try.

Israeli Independence After Action Report (AAR)...

Last night, I played some more Israeli Independence, the solitaire game on Israel's drive for statehood in 1948/49. I decided that since the game had a nice narrative I would track the happenings and report them here -- for posterity and to give readers a better idea of how he game plays.

Each turn a headline card is flipped over which will advance Arab armies (they all start in their countries, save for Iraq, which starts on the Jordan Border). The card also states how many offensives vs. the advancing armies the Israelis can launch. Israel tries to keep the Arabs out of West Jerusalem through 22 cards.

Card 1, "Iraq Tires!" The armies of Syria and Jordan advance, Syria to Safed and Jordan to Jericho. Both offensives are launched against the Syrians, and they're pushed back to the Golan Heights. In excellent news for the fledgling Jewish state, the Iraqi army, after a long march through the desert, turns around and goes home, its heart not in the fight. This is excellent news for the Israelis, as they now have one less foe to fight.

Card 2, "Mid-East War Quiets as Truce Declared!" UN Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte recommends a partition plan which is rejected by both sides. The Egyptian army breaks the truce by advancing to Gaza and the war continues.

Card 3, "Palestinian Refugees Hamper Operations!" The flood of Palestinian villagers out of the areas claimed by Israel greatly hamper Arab operations. This wave of humanity pushes the Jordanian army back to Trans-Jordan and an Israeli offensive pushes the truce-breaking Egyptians back to El Arish. After 3 cards, the Israelis have seen the Iraqis tire of the war and all 4 Arab armies (Lebanon's hasn't done anything yet) are back in their homelands. But there's still a lot of game to go...

Card 4, "Operation Dani Launched!" Syria advances back to Safed. Operation Dani is launched against the Jordanians, and there is much skirmishing at the Trans-Jordan border. Other Israeli forces push the Syrians back to the Golan Heights. The small, uncoordinated Israeli military units continue to have success vs. their Arab counterparts.

Card 5, "Israelis Shoot Down British Warplanes!" 4 Royal Air Force planes are shot down by Israeli pilots, increasing tensions. This puts the Egyptians, Syrians, and Jordanians on the move to Gaza, Safed, and Jericho, respectively. An offensive launched against the Jordanians is ineffective.

Card 6, "Opertation Kedem Launched!" Shortly before a second cease-fire was about to be announced, an offensive was launched against Jordan and this pushes their army back into Trans-Jordan. The Syrians, however, take advantage of a lull on their front to push farther into lands claimed by Israel, making it to Tiberias.

Card 7, "Operation Dekel Launched!" Egyptians advance to Beersheba and Jordanians push back into Jericho. Operation Dekel in the North knocks the Syrians back to Safed, while fierce fighting in the South kicks the Egyptians back to Gaza. Fate is continuing to smile kindly on the Israelis.

Card 8, "Road to Jerusalem Blocked!" Arab armies effectively cut the lines of communication into Jerusalem, placing it under siege. Jordanians advance to Ramallah, and the siege prevents the Israelis from attacking them. So the offensives target the Egyptians and Syrians, and they're pushed back into Egypt and Syria proper.

Card 9, "Resistance at Degania!" Israelis armed with light weapons prevent Syrian tanks from advancing off the Golan Heights. In other sectors, the Egyptians advance to Gaza. Israelis reopen lines of communication around Jerusalem and launch 2 offensives vs. Jordan. Unfortunately, neither attack dislodges the Jordanian army from Ramallah.

Card 10, "Transjordanian Legion on the March!" Jordan's Arab Legion, trained and staffed by British officers, leaves Ramallah and enters East Jerusalem. Egyptians flood back into Beersheba. With the Arab Legion on the outskirts of West Jerusalem, a massive offensive is launched against them, only to result in failure.

Card 11, "State of Israel Established!" Amongst all the fighting, David Ben-Gurion pronounced the establishment of the Jewish state, something quickly recognized by many nations, including the Soviet Union and the United States. However, this pronouncement only infuriated the Arabs, and all armies advanced, including Jordan's Arab Legion which marched into West Jerusalem after heavy fighting and ended the hopes and dreams of the fledgling Jewish nation.

So, as you can see, this game started out well for Israel, but went downhill quickly -- those Jordanians are tough (rated a "4" so only a die roll of 5 or 6 can push them back). Much fun was had, I'll have to work today at getting Israel on better footing!



Jordanian Legion marching outside the Tower of David

Sleepless Knights and Galimatias...

Why "Zyzzyva?"

Back in the early 80s, in the days before we had access to the Internet, I played the game Diplomacy by mail. That's right, mail, not email... There were hundreds of fan moderated 'zines which would run and adjudicate games for a nominal fee. I subbed to several of these, and always had a few games going.
One of the 'zines was called "Sleepless Knights" (I think I'm remembering this correctly) and was out of Anchorage, Alaska. The guy running it -- Jim Meinel, if my memory is still working correctly -- asked if anyone would be interested in writing a humor-related "subzine" to run inside the main 'zine. Being a college student with too much time on my hands, I volunteered, and the subzine "Galimatias" was born. I chose Galimatias, for it means "gibberish," something I was good at spewing. So I sat down and, monthly, put together a 1-page rag on an electric typewriter. Yes, you read that correctly -- I had an Atari 800 at that point, but not printer, as it was only for playing games! In my initial issue, I found "zyzzyva" in the dictionary (a paper one, not online!) and wrote a story around that weevil of a word. It's always stuck with me as being an odd, yet fun word.

Fast forward to 2005 and I decide I want to open my own blog on CSW. I need to choose a title, and all blogs are listed alphabetically. So, being me, I decide to go last. Zyzzyva is perfect. Coming here to blog, I was torn between Galimatias and Zyzzyva, but since I like to have the last word, Zyzzyva won out.

OK, where am I going with this, and why? Well, I'd like to have a place to write about fun (and some not fun, I guess) "stuff" in my life. A wargaming bulletin board turned out not to be the place to do it. So here I am.

My wife, Deanna, told me something right before we got married that has always pleased me. She said (paraphrasing), "Many people say they don't care what others think about them, but you're the only person I've ever met who truly means that." And that is, simply, how I've run my life. There are people I like, people I don't like, and people that I'm ambivalent towards. On the surface, as a human being, I hope that anyone reading this gets some enjoyment out of it, maybe finds a common bond somewhere. But, bottom line, I've gotta admit, this is for me, plain and simple. It won't hurt my feelings if every visitor leaves bored out of his/her mind (or if no one visits at all!), nor will it stoke my ego if every visitor finds Zyzzyva a place where the cool cats hang out -- I'm not like that. I do hope that, over time, we get some fun "things" going here, but if this remains my own private palette, well, that's OK too. And this has nothing to do with being self-centered -- I'm as humble and unassuming (though not to be confused with meek, as that's something I'm not) as they come and I'm just out to enjoy life, at least what's left of it.

Thinking along those lines, I'd go back and be 16 again. A lot of folks wouldn't, but I would. It would be a hoot to live through the years again, knowing what I know now. Something I'd start in my early twenties (or maybe even before) would be writing. I've gone through a few children's novels (the whole teaching angle, I guess), being pleased with none, and ending them with their destruction. A new one has been percolating, perhaps writing here will give me the kick in the pants I need to try again, as it is true, one is never too old.

Finally, a public blog like this opens the soul. I want to do that, to the extent I can, remaining heedful of my position as a teacher. So if I ever do choose to hold back, it will only be because there may be certain topics I wouldn't want a student of mine stumbling across with my name attached!

Little Stalker...

Stayed up too late last night -- a school night -- playing more Israeli Independence and watching the Lakers beat the Spurs in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. I lost 20 straight games as the Israelis (using the "advanced" rules, which add 2 more cards to the deck and the rules for 3 additional Israeli offensives). Rolling poorly in this game doesn't help...

Deanna, my wife, is subbing in my district today, at the elementary school where I spent 9 years prior to moving to the middle school. She also got a 2nd interview with Pal-Mac (Palmyra-Macedon) where she has to teach a lesson to 8th Grade English students. I hope she gets the job as she'll be a wonderful teacher and the job hunt is really stressing her out.

I've just been riding around (great idea with gas prices so high, d'oh!) with Cheyenne, trying to finish up the book on CD I'm listening to. It's Little Stalker by Jennifer Belle. A fun listen to while driving. Anyway, I'm about to do something I've never done before -- intentionally keep library property past its due date. OK, there was the incident at the University of Rochester my junior year, but that was for survival... But back to Little Stalker. It's due tomorrow and I still have a CD and a half to go. I'll finish this weekend and turn it back in a few days late. With all I've done in my 46 years, I can safely say I've never tried to "cheat" the public library before. I think the problem is that I've been driving less, due to gas prices, so my listening time is cut down. At home, I can;t listen to a book, reading only.

Gaming and "why" blog...

When I first began blogging about games on Consimworld (CSW), my blog turned into a "stream of consciousness" type deal which then morphed into a "Howard Stern" type of site. I admit, it was fun while it lasted, but I soon grew bored with all the potty humor. Yes, I'm a guy, and we tend to enjoy that sort of stuff, but there is a limit. So I closed up after more than 25,000 posts. And I stayed away for a while, until my beautiful dog, Gypsy, was diagnosed (again) with cancer. I opened a new blog, with access only for my online gaming "friends," using it as a place where I could talk freely about what I was going through. In hindsight, certainly, I wish I had opened a real blog, like this one, to use for my catharsis. It did help, and I kept it open for 8 months or so even after Gypsy's death (and I will write about this lovely dog -- my friend -- here, but not today, as I wish to keep things upbeat). I knew, though, it was time to get off that site as a blog owner. Too many people who I didn't have fun around. A time sink without a good payoff.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I still go to CSW and post there, but I try to keep it gaming related (save for a few blogs of friends). It can be a good gaming resource, as are Boardgame Geek (BGG), Web Grognards, and others I'll eventually get to. But some of the animosity there has risen to a level that's made the site much less fun. So, here I am, getting the itch to write about gaming (and many other subjects) again. I know that my audience here will be much lower than it would be on a site like CSW, but it will, undoubtedly, be of much higher quality.

And yes, I have a lot to say...

But I was taken away by a walk at Indian Hill Nature Center in Perinton with Cheyenne and Deanna this afternoon, then I cam home to a neat little package waiting -- "Israeli Independence" from Victory Point Games. This company produces cheap little games, I believe the Israeli game cost $14, which includes postage. It's a solitaire game of the fighting around Jerusalem in 1948-49. Very abstract and completely luck driven, but strangely captivating. There are 5 Arab armies starting 4 spaces (on a track) from West Jerusalem. Each turn begins by flipping an event card which advances one or more of these armies (a few cards force retreats). The card also gives the number of Israeli attacks available that turn, anywhere from 1 to 3 (though a "Truce" cards gives 0). Arab armies are rated "3," save for Lebanon's "2" and Jordan's "4." When attacking an Arab army, you need to roll one die and get a number > the army's rating. So the Lebanese are pretty easy to push back, the Jordanians are tough! Some cards give die roll modifiers (-1, +1, +2) to certain attacks. There are also events which remove certain Arab armies from play if they're on the last space on their track (i.e. farthest from Jerusalem). The deck plays out through 22 of these event cards. If ANY Arab army makes it to West Jerusalem before the deck is exhausted, the Israelis lose. If you make it through the deck before West Jerusalem falls, Israel wins (and is created as an independent state in history).

Not a typical wargame, but one that was fun to go through a few times this afternoon, as each game was taking about 10 minutes or so.

In the beginning...

Just a quick post to say, "Yes, I am here!" I do plan to use this blog quite frequently, as I am full of galimatias, and I need a forum from which to spew. I hope you will enjoy my musings once I get going, and get going I will.

So, if you've stumbled across Zyzzyva as I'm getting things set up, please check back soon.

OK, back to the grindstone.

Who am I and why am I doing this?

My name's Rob Winslow, going by Mr. W here as that's what many of my students call me. Yes, I teach, 6th Grade Social Studies and Math. I'm married to a beautiful, intelligent woman, Deanna, and have been since 2004, the second time for both of us. We have a two year old dog named Cheyenne -- you've undoubtedly seen her picture in the header. She came into our lives April, 2007, as her owner was ill and could no longer take care of her. We had recently lost my "dog of a lifetime," Gypsy, and I wasn't ready. But Deanna said, "Let's take her," so we did. And she quickly wormed her way into our hearts.

I imagine a lot of the content here will be game/history related, as I used to have a blog (2 iterations of it, actually) on Consimworld (CSW). a site dedicated to gaming, mainly wargaming. But I found that there were a few "bad apples" there who, through the anonymity of Internet posting, tended to wreck the experience. So I decided to get a "real" blog going and see where it takes me, with the unsavory element left behind. My one claim to wargaming fame is that I developed the GMT game Wilderness War, a strategic game on the French & Indian War.

Here we see Montcalm and Wolfe staring each other down in the Hudson/ Champlain Valley! I also have many ideas of my own for game design, and they may come out in time.

So, I'll need to think about some of the topics I'd like to address over time, and get back to this blogging thang soon!