Countdown...

Well, the countdown to WBC begins -- I'll be getting there on Monday, as Deanna gets back in town. Separate vacations this year... I even bought Manoeuvre, as it's a Tuesday morning/afternoon tourney. I never had any interest in the game until I realized (yesterday) that I'd be able to play it on Tuesday. What the Hell, with my Millennium discount it was reasonably priced.

Of course, this also means that over the next week and a half or so, there won't be many posts here...

I know, I haven't been as "on the ball" lately as I should have been, but with all the house stuff, and the lazy days of summer, it's been tough. I will hope to get back in the groove once I return (or at least by when school starts back up -- I can't believe I just thought that, ugh!).

The Cheyenne training is going well. She's such a smart dog, and quite passive-aggressive! We're trying a "gentle leader" with her now, and this seems to correct her "pulling" problems while on a walk. Of course, it's not the solution, just a measure to be used to get there. I really, really want this girl to listen, in all situations, as her (and my) world will really open if she does. I do have a shock collar, by that's a last resort...

This dog is so damn athletic, if she'd just listen to me better, and not be so ADHD (seriously!), we could do things like agility training, frisbee competitions, flyball, whatever. But first, she needs to do EVERYTHING I tell her to, or she's not welcome...

How I wish we could just communicate in English.

On the gaming front, I've been playing a lot of C&C:Ancients via Vassal. I'm wondering if there would be any interest to set up a little "Zyzzyva" tourney using C&C:A on Vassal. I know several folks here play the game and use Vassal, so if we got 4-8 we could have some fun. I'd make a schedule so that everyone would play the same scenarios and we'd see who would come out on top. Post here (or send me an email) if you're interested. Using Skype would be a big plus, as being able to talk during games really helps. Nothing would be happening before mid-August, at the earliest, but I hope we can generate some interest.

Back to organizing crapola for me...

Vassal...

Yesterday, I played 2 Command & Colors: Ancients games on Vassal -- Gabiene (A Successors Battle) with Marc Grad and Ilipa (Carthage vs. Rome in Spain) with Scott Courtney. For both games, Skype was used, so it really was just like playing FTF...

The C&C:A set is very intuitive and easy to use. Being able to chat with the guy you're playing with in real time adds to the experience, quite nicely.

I know that my machine is low on RAM, and this often presents a problem, but it didn't yesterday (and one of these days I'll update my computer, dammit!).

Anyway, had a lot of fun playing, and if anyone reading this is up for a Vassal game (and it doesn't have to be C&C:A!), please drop me a line.

Now, to see if I can pick up a game for this evening...

Clubbing and VASSAL...

No, I'm not 22 anymore, so "clubbing" has a different definition to me now...

I think that, after all, I may be able to head to the University of Buffalo (UB) for the Buffalo Gamer's monthly meet. It looked bleak yesterday, as we're having work done on our house in order to get ready to put it on the market. It looked like our friend Doug was coming in the morning to get started, and Deanna had plans, so I was stuck here. But Doug has said he can't get here before mid/late afternoon, by which time Deanna will be back. So if the plan holds, a day of gaming at UB is on my plate!

Besides, Deanna's the persnickety one when it comes to painting, drywall, wallpaper removal, etc., so better she's in charge than I. None of this, "Why didn't you have Doug do _________" stuff, if I'm not around. Hehe!

Yesterday I signed up to play a Here I Stand (HIS) game with some friends from CSW. HIS is a game on the Protestant Reformation, wars during that time, and the exploration of the New World. We're talking a time frame of the early-mid 1500s. It's a game for 6 players -- Hapsburgs, Ottomans, France, England, Protestans, and the Papacy. The game is a lot of fun, and we'll be playing on VASSAL, a real-time, or play by electronic mail (pbem) site. Alas, VASSAL is something I've always had trouble with, so I'm hoping a training session tomorrow will open my eyes a little. And, of course, I'll be reporting on the game here.

Finally, Khyber Pass Games put out a solitaire game, B-29, which lets one fly missions to bomb Japan in WWII. I signed up for a game on CSW -- I don't have to do anything, just see what happens to my character as javelina trader Shannon Cooke flies the missions. I'm the bombardier, so let's hope I'm on target!