The Un-wittily Titled Post

Look, I just couldn't be arsed to come up with a title, OK? Don't judge me...

To be honest, it's been one of those weeks where I have been working flat out, to the extent that my internal monologue has been turned off, and I've not done my usual 40 hours of mulling things over as I work, formulating opinions, posts and vitriol. I'm sorry.

BUT, the city is taking shape. My regular gaming opponent Dave had taken the MDF mountain home with him last Saturday, and immediately - or so it seemed - he was into it like a beaver in a wood shed.

He dropped me a few pornographic images, mid week of the TT Combat 'Star Store' model, and I'm really pleased with what he's doing, because as you know I've been quite vociferous in the past about my homicidal feelings towards MDF. Dave convinced me that if I had the money and stomach to buy it, he could build the models.

As I understand it, the fittings are not being 'fitted' to ease painting by the Memsahib. Likewise, the signage on all buildings is being left unattached to facilitate easier colouration.

Midweek, I also turned my thoughts to rules which could be used with the city, and I ended up acquiring 'The Chicago Way' from Great Escape Games and the 'Shut It - Geezers' & 'Vice Palms' rules from Killer B Games. Chicago Way looks pretty straight forward, but I'm not sure about the use of cards. I'll give it a try though, because like the MDF, I may be converted.

Yesterday, I received a soft package through the door (no not one of those packages, because at Fackham Hall we'd set the dogs on anyone doing that) which contained my custom mat from Tiny Wargames, based on their 'Chicago' mat.

It's 6x4 feet and much like the MDF, has made a convert of me because I've always been a traditionalist when it comes to scenery and playing surfaces. 

This really is a super product. It's lightweight, very clearly printed and more importantly the designers seem to have looked at how a real street plan is laid out. I can't wit to begin populating it with the MDF real estate.

Those are big areas to fill, and I can easily do it with buildings to spare.

If you haven't already taken a look, I really urge you to go over to https://www.tinywargames.co.uk/

I've been fleshing out the concept for the 'living city' and I am going to lay out a plan for the area of downtown, circa 1925, and write up background for each building as well as the stats for notable citizens, including motivations, morals and dirty secrets. 

If for some reason a citizen ceases to inhabit the building or a building is destroyed, the plot will be left bare for a while and a new structure built, or taken over by a new proprietor, tenants etc. As the decades pass in my timeline there will be more modern buildings and possible areas of gentrification due to an influx of Hipsters seeking cheap but spacious places to raise a brood.

This may of course result in knee jerk riots by long term locals becoming priced out of the area and the need for police intervention if it all gets out of hand. Perhaps, the work on the basement of that long abandoned property that Jeremy & Jacasta picked up for a trifling fifty thousand, has upset  a family clan of Deep Ones who have lived there since the mysterious fire of 1909...

You can see, I've not thought too much about this.

In non-gaming news this week, the latest instalment of the 'Rivers Of London' series by Ben Aaronovitch was released on Audible. It's very enjoyable, but I can't help but feel the author is trying too hard to push the idea of London being a diverse place. At times he simply sounds like an apologetic white guy which sort of cheapens the story. I'm all for a varied cast - it can only be a good thing, but the way in which Mr A goes about it sometimes feels contrived.

But as I said, it's a great book and it's twisting the established timeline in new directions. I'm listening to it over a 3 or 4 day period as I work, so that I can savour it rather than simply binge out in a single day.

On a more sober note, I also bought the new album from gothic avant garde maestros 'Dead Can Dance'.

After the tour de force which was their last album 'Anastasis', I had very, very high expectations for 'Dionysus'

Sadly, it was not to be...

Now I am a 25 year fan of the duo, but I am pretty cold to this album despite initial positive thoughts when I played it for the first time.. The album is broken into two sub-divided 'acts' rather than a straight A-Z track listing. As usual the cover is modern and handsome, but the musical content lacks any kind of advancement form where they were in the 90s to my ear.

Brendan Perry writes some wonderful lyrics and his voice is only matched by perhaps David Sylvian at his peak. Lisa Gerrard has a haunting vocal range, relying on glossolalia (look up 'speaking in tongues') rather than actual 'language', and together they can make angels weep.

But, this album sounds as if it is made up from cast-offs from the 'Spirit Chaser; album, with a nod to 'The Serpent's Egg', perhaps with a few lunchtime noodlings from Hans Zimmer (with whom LG has worked repeatedly) and, at around 36 minutes, it's the aural equivalent of a quick post-night club shag in a doorway whilst the pizza place over the road prepare you different kind of 10 inches.

Very disappointing.

As I type, the postman has just arrived with a smile - or maybe a grimace - his arme literally filled with goodies.

It appears to be unsurprisingly, a mass of vintage lead,  two rule sets from Killer B Games (very hefty) and a map from Great Escape Games, which was absent from the sealed copy of 'The Chicago Way' which I purchased from 'The Pit Gaming'. Kudos to Great Escape for promptly resolving a problem that the store seemed to be unconcerned with, offering a refund rather than doing what I did, myself and asking the publisher to forward the relevant part. Well done, Great Escape!

And so, I will leave you to enjoy your weekend in whatever way you se fit.

TTFN