Old West Buildings - Undertaker

Well, here's some eye candy for whoever happens across this blog.

I've always been interested in the tales of the American old west. Over the years I've built up a collection of second-hand books on the subject. In the mid-to-late 80's I played a role playing game by TSR called Boot Hill. My friends and I had lots of fun using the rules to stage gunfights. We didn't have any miniatures but instead used cardboard counters to represent our characters and fought across a map of a town which came with the game.

I discovered miniatures about ten years ago. My plan was to find some good skirmish rules so that several players could run small groups of gunfighters against each other. This time instead of cardboard counters I'd have painted miniatures to play with. Instead of a paper map I'd have actual buildings my miniatures could use for cover.

Here is my first attempt at a western building. I found some pictures of western buildings in a wargames magazine and off I went. They are constructed from a base of 3mm thick cardboard which I've then overlaid with thin planks of balsa wood which were coloured using a wood stain. Everything was glued using white, or wood, glue. The roof tiles were cut from cereal packets. I made the roof removable in case I ever needed to put miniatures inside the building for any reason. I'm considering changing the sign to read 'Undertaker' rather than 'Funeral Services' to give it a more western feel.

The miniature is a 25mm gunfighter from Old Glory that I painted using acrylic colours. He's the first 25mm scale gunfighter I painted. In fact, he's the first (and only) 25mm scale miniature I've ever painted! Prior to this particular miniature I'd only ever painted in 15mm scale. I was reasonably happy with the result but I still have a lot more to learn about painting in this scale.

All photos are clickable for a closer view.

Computer War Games

My wife picked me up some computer wargames from a local thrift store today.

• Lords of the Realm III - 2003
• Imperial Glory - 2005
• American Conquest - Fight Back - (French version) 2004
• Tin Soldiers - Julius Caesar - 2005
• Kohan II - Kings of War - 2004
• Crown of Glory - Europe in the Age of Napoleon - 2005

I don't really play many computer games and I have no idea what these ones are like. What has me excited is that they're all wargames of one genre or another. Now, hex and counter wargames with complicated rules, that take many hours to play and require the trouble of finding a willing opponent, do not interest me. Computer wargames may scratch my wargaming itch and fit my particular current gaming lifestyle. We'll have to wait and see what they're like.

The whole lot only cost AU$15.00 which was very reasonable.

The Scrabble Bug

You know you've caught the Scrabble bug when you are about to post a comment on someone's blog and then find yourself attempting to anagram the word verification!

My Front Lawn

You know how I mentioned we're currently in the middle of a drought here? Well, here's a picture of my front lawn. The grass could colloquially be referred to as being 'drier than a dead dingo's donger'. Still, nothing that a good solid downpour won't fix. But sadly we're heading towards winter here in the southern hemisphere, which just happens to be the period of lowest average precipitation. Sigh.

Magna Doodle?!?

I was walking past my 5-year-old daughter, Maddie, who was sitting in the living room drawing on her Fisher-Price Magna Doodle. I happened to catch the drawing out of the corner of my eye and did a double-take. I was shocked by what I saw.

"Maddie!" I exclaimed. "What are you drawing!?!"

Maddie looked up at me and smiled. "It's a long love-heart, Daddy."

She turned it around to show me and I could see she had started to colour it in.

"Aaaaahhhh." I replied, visibly relieved.

"What did you think it was, Daddy?" Maddie asked with an innocent look on her face.

"Er, um, nothing honey!" I said over my shoulder as I quickly exited the room.

Level 5 Water Restrictions

We're currently suffering a drought here in South-East Queensland. You may remember an earlier entry when I discussed level 4 water restrictions being put into place on 1 November 2006. Well, things haven't improved and so the Queensland Water Commission introduced level 5 water restrictions on Tuesday, 10 April 2007. Water restrictions only apply to the use of town water. All outdoor sprinkling and hosing is banned.

For existing gardens and lawns watering is only permitted using a hand held watering can or bucket filled directly from a tap at the following times:

• Odd numbered houses/units: 4pm - 7pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
• Even numbered houses/units: 4pm - 7pm on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
  

You can only use town water from a bucket filled directly from a tap to:

• wash car mirrors, glass, number plates and potentially damaging marks - not the rest of the vehicle (except at a commercial car wash)
• flush an inboard or outboard motor or vehicle's brakes to prevent corrosion and maintain safe operation

clean external areas of houses and paved areas:

• for health and safety reasons
• during pre-painting and pre-sale preparation activities
• to maintain external surfaces once every year
• to maintain roof surfaces once every three years

Outdoor showering is not permitted (eg. at beaches).

Consumption of water is now limited to 140 litres per person per day, with chronic over-users facing heavy fines and their shower pressure reduced to a trickle.

Gaming With Grandma - 14

My Mum, Grandma to our kids, dropped by this morning for her weekly visit. After a cup of tea, Maddie, Grandma and I sat down at the dining table to play some games.

First up this morning was the Bratz Passion for Fashion game. I don't enjoy this game but play it because Maddie loves all things Bratz at the moment. Maddie came 1st, having collected all four of her fashion accessories and made her way home, I was 2nd also with all four of my fashion accessories and Grandma was 3rd having collected only two of her fashion accessories.

After we'd finished, Maddie went off to play. Grandma and I sat down to a game of Scrabble. I'd previously downloaded the full 2 and 3-word lists off the Internet so I gave an extra copy to Mum to take home with her to study.

I borrowed a Scrabble dictionary from the library so we used that as our reference. I'm still considering which Scrabble dictionary to buy. Scrabble Australia states that all Australian tournaments are adjudicated according to the Official Scrabble Words International (OSWI) word list. OSWI is published by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd but may soon be superseded by an equivalent reference from Collins.

Mum went first after selecting a V to my X.

Turn 1 [Mum] DOG 10, [Me] HOLD/(O)H/(G)O 24

Turn 2 [Mum] (HOLD)S 10, [Me] Exchanged 6 tiles - kept the X

Turn 3 [Mum] RO(D) 4, [Me] FISHE(R) 20

Turn 4 [Mum] (GO)D 9, [Me] (E)X/X(O)* Challenged off

Turn 5 [Mum] (F)EW 10, [Me] TEXT(S) 20

Turn 6 [Mum] WA(S) 12, [Me] BOA(T) 12

Turn 7 [Mum] FAM(E) 13, [Me] (FAME)D/D(O) 16

Turn 8 [Mum] (D)UNG 12, [Me] MUSINGS/(GOD)S 72

Turn 9 [Mum] Exchanged 3 tiles, [Me] (M)INTY 28

Turn 10 [Mum] (F)AKE 16, [Me] POU(T) 12

Turn 11 [Mum] Z(I)P/(U)P 17, [Me] JA(W) 39

Turn 12 [Mum] B(O)LT 6, [Me] CO(A)T 24

Turn 13 [Mum] (JAW)S 15, [Me] (C)ANALIER* Challenged off

Turn 14 [Mum] (T)A(X) 10, [Me] RE(TEXTS)* Challenged off

Turn 15 [Mum] (FISHER)Y 16, [Me] NA(P)E 21

Turn 16 [Mum] (J)ET 10, [Me] (T)AR 9

Turn 17 [Mum] (G)IVER 13, [Me] LO(R)E 12

Turn 18 [Mum] CO(V)E 12, [Me] (R)EVUE 9

Turn 19 [Mum] Passed, [Me] ENUN(C)IAR* Challenged off

Turn 20 [Mum] Passed, [Me] (C)AIRN 8

Turn 21 [Mum] Q(I) 11, [Me] NE(W) 12

Turn 22 [Mum] (N)IL 3, [Me] U(N) 4

Turn 23 [Mum] (Q)I 13, [Me] (L)I 4

I had used up all my letters and Mum was left with 3 tiles, IRR, for minus 3 points. These points were added to my score. Final scores were [Me] 349 and [Mum] 219. I averaged 15.17 points per turn with 5 of those turns being non-scoring turns.

Highlight of this game for me was achieving my first ever bingo (that is, placing all 7 of the letters from your rack on one turn). It was MUSINGS. However, I only did it with the help of two blanks (the U and S) so I'm still looking to get a bingo with no help from the blanks.

Probably the most obscure words I played were EX, OH, UN and LI. Proof that being aware of legal two-letter words can really help your Scrabble game.

I had a few words challenged off. ENUNCIAR (one who enunciates?) was not legal. CANALIER
(as in, 'Venice is canalier than Brisbane') was also not a legal word. RETEXTS is also not a valid word. I was hoping for a SUB or PRE to add to TEXTS but the letters never came my way. Now these weren't intentional phoneys, I was just trying my luck to see if they were actual words.

Mum reckoned she had pretty bad tiles so my wife, Deb, assisted her during the last few turns. My wife had remembered me telling her about QI (Chinese life-force) being a legitimate 2-letter word and helped Mum out with that and a couple of other words. That was fine with me as I'm always pleased when Deb displays an interest in games.

My low-point of this gaming session was the amount of time I took on my moves. The game lasted a couple of hours which is unacceptable. I was just trying too hard to look for bingos and make the highest scoring move I could each turn. I truly suffered from analysis paralysis most turns. I've made a vow to decrease the time I take on moves and will be timing myself in future.

It will be interesting to see if Mum's game improves next week after she's had a chance to peruse the 2 and 3-word lists.

So, this evening, having noticed my wife's interest earlier on, I asked her if she'd like to share a bottle of wine with me over a game of Scrabble. I was pleased when she accepted, however she would only play if I promised it would be a quick game. She'd seen how long my game with Mum had taken.

So, after the kids were in bed, we opened a bottle of wine and sat down to our game. I got one of the 3-minute hour-glass sand timers from my game of TAMSK to ensure I didn't take too long on my moves. We agreed that if either one of us had not commenced to put down a word by the time the sand had run out then that person forfeits their turn.

My wife went first after selecting an I to my O.

Turn 1 [Deb] GAG 10, [Me] TWE(A)K 13

Turn 2 [Deb] WI(T)S 9, [Me] HEAL(T)H 24

Turn 3 [Deb] F(A)N 12, [Me] TWEAK(ED) 15

Turn 4 [Deb] N(E)VER 16, [Me] (R)AID 10

Turn 5 [Deb] OVER(T) 16, [Me] CRA(V)ER 19

Turn 6 [Deb] MAULE(D) 13, [Me] W(A)NT 33

Turn 7 [Deb] (H)OLE 14, [Me] *Timed out - Forfeit turn

Turn 8 [Deb] DOO(R) 10, [Me] *Timed out - Forfeit turn

Turn 9 [Deb] ZOAR* Challenged off, [Me] MIN(E)/(O)N 8

Turn 10 [Deb] (R)OAR 5, [Me] *Timed out - Forfeit turn

Turn 11 [Deb] I(L)L 6, [Me] *Timed out - Forfeit turn

Turn 12 [Deb] F(L)Y 17, [Me] T(A)B 14

Turn 13 [Deb] I(T) 2, [Me] (M)ENU 8

Turn 14 [Deb] Q(U)IZ 22, [Me] (QUIZ)ES 24

Turn 15 [Deb] (Z)IP 28, [Me] JOTS/(ZIP)S 37

Turn 16 [Deb] (J)UMP 24, [Me] DOSE/S(QUIZES)* Challenged off

Turn 17 [Deb] (T)ENT 5, [Me] S(P)A(T)E 21

Turn 18 [Deb] B(RAID) 8, [Me] *Timed out - Forfeit turn

Turn 19 [Deb] (B)RAG 8, [Me] (G)OOD 8

Turn 20 [Deb] Y(O)U 12, [Me] AX(E) 10

Turn 21 [Deb] Q(I) 13, [Me] A(I) 6

Turn 22 [Deb] (A)C* Challenged off, [Me] (ON)E/E(R) 5

I had used up all my letters and Deb was left with the C tile for minus 3 points. These points were added to my score. Final scores were [Me] 258 and [Deb] 247. I averaged 11.73 points per turn however 6 of those turns were non-scoring turns. It was a very close game and highlighted for me that I really need to improve my ability to anagram quickly. I think I'll continue to use the 3-minute hourglass as a guide to reducing the time I take to make my moves.

A pleasant evening of gaming with my wife and a good bottle of wine.

A Happy Little Vegemite

Vegemite is a cultural icon of Australia. It is a dark brown, salty food paste made from yeast extract and is used mainly as a spread on sandwiches and toast.

A "happy little Vegemite" is an Australian slang expression for a happy person. It is based on the lyrics of a popular Vegemite commercial jingle.

This is the result of giving Vegemite on toast to a 14-month-old child...

...and apparently Vegemite can be further enjoyed by rubbing it around inside one's nostril.

Enter The Dungeon

My 5-year-old daughter, Maddie, and I played Dungeonquest today.

DungeonQuest is a fantasy boardgame in which you play a hero braving the terrors of Dragonfire Castle. There are four characters provided with the game, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The game may be played solo or with up to four players.

I have played it a total of three times previously; the first two games solo, and on the third occasion with Maddie. In our last game of Dungeonquest, Maddie's first, she was able to make her way to the Treasure Chamber, steal a staggering 4,490 gold pieces worth of treasure and escape from the dungeon with only 1 turn to spare before the sun set. According to the rules you have approximately a 15% chance of achieving such a feat. I perished in that particular game, as I have in all the games I've played so far.

I won the initial dice roll to see who was the 'first player' and was thus able to choose my character first. I decided to choose El-Adoran Sureshot, a character I had not played before. This is the only character to carry a missile weapon, a bow, which allows the opportunity of attacking a monster and killing it before it gets a chance to hit you. El-Adoran had high Agility and Luck scores but the lowest Life Points (11) of the four characters. Maddie chose Volrik the Brave, a roguish character with high Agility and Luck scores and reasonably good Life Points (15). Each character then gets to choose a magic ring to assist them in their quest for treasure. Maddie chose to take the Ring of Healing and I chose the Ring of Opening.

The game lasts for a maximum of 26 turns. Each turn represents a phase of time with the final turn meaning the sun has set. The rules state "it is better not to ask what happens to those characters who are still in the dungeon at nightfall..." The character who has exited with the most treasure from the dungeon before nightfall is the winner.

The initial board set up. Maddie started in the lower left tower and I started in the lower right tower.

Turn 1
[Me] Starting in the lower right tower the first room I draw is empty.
[Maddie] Starting in the lower left tower, the first room Maddie enters is a bottomless pit. Maddie must roll a D12; if she rolls her Agility score (which is 7) or lower she makes it across the pit; if not her character dies and she is out of the game. She rolls a 6 and just barely manages to jump across the chasm.

Maddie's character, Volrik the Brave.

Turn 2

[Me] I enter the next room to find an Orc standing guard. I choose to immediately Attack him. The corresponding Monster card shows that the result is that we enter Combat and he has 6 Life Points. We fight and I kill him but am sorely wounded, losing 4 of my own Life Points in the battle. I proceed on with only 7 Life Points remaining.
[Maddie] Maddie enters a corridor which allows her another immediate draw from the room tiles. She finds the corridor leads to an empty room.

Turn 3

[Me] The next room I enter is a crypt. I have the option of doing a free search and find a potion bottle. I keep it for later. When I drink it I will find out what it does. It could be a healing potion or it could be poison.
[Maddie] Maddie enters her next room only to find the roof caves in! On her next turn she must roll a D12 or retreat back the way she came.

Turn 4

[Me] I enter the next room only to find a portcullis slam down behind me cutting off my retreat. Luckily the room is empty. The exits continue to lead toward the heart of the dungeon - and the waiting Treasure Chamber.
[Maddie] Maddie decides to risk moving forward instead of retreating. She must roll a D12 and roll her Agility score (7) or lower. She rolls a 9 and is trapped by the cave-in and misses her turn.

Turn 5

[Me] I enter the next room and once again a portcullis slams down behind me. I'm starting to get the feeling that the Dragonfire Castle does not want me to escape alive. The room is empty.
[Maddie] Maddie tries to escape the cave-in. She rolls a 7 and manages to make it to the next room which is empty.

Turn 6
[Me] I enter the next room and suddenly a trapdoor opens below my feet revealing many sharp stakes below. I must roll my Agility (8) or less on a D12 to avoid the trap. I roll a 7 and jump back just in time.
[Maddie] Maddie continues on to find the next room is a dead end. However, before she can retreat she finds it is actually a Rotating Room and the room rotates 180 degrees thereby cutting off forever the way she has come. She continues on in the direction of the Treasure Chamber.

Turn 7

[Me] I enter a corridor which allows me another room tile draw. I enter the next room and another portcullis slams down behind me. That's three portcullises barring the way I've come. To open a portcullis I need to roll my Strength (3) or lower on a D12. Fat chance of that!
[Maddie] Maddie's next room draw is another Rotating Room! She's definitely not going back the way she came in!

Turn 8

[Me] I am one room away from the Treasure Chamber! Unfortunately the room I draw has no exit matching the entrances to the Treasure Chamber. I must go back a room and try approaching the Treasure Chamber from another side.
[Maddie] Maddie enters her next room which at first appears empty. Then from the shadows a Death Warrior leaps out and does a Sneak Attack on her. She must roll a D12 and subtract her Luck (8) to see how much damage she takes. She rolls an 10 and loses 2 Life Points. She enters into combat with the Death Warrior who has 5 Life Points. Maddie defeats her enemy but loses 5 Life Points in the process. She is down to 10 Life Points.

Turn 9

[Me] I spend the turn moving back to the previous room.
[Maddie] Maddie uses her magical Ring of Healing to heal back the 5 Life Points she lost in the battle with the Death Warrior. She may not use the ring again as it only works once.

Turn 10
[Me] The room tile I draw has an exit leading directly to the Treasure Chamber! I enter the room only to find a Mountain Troll blocking my way. I decide to use the special feature of El-Adoran - his bow. I have one opportunity to shoot the monster before we enter combat. If I roll a 5 or a 6 I will kill him instantly. I roll a 5, the arrow piercing his brain - he falls dead at my feet. I am now free to enter the Treasure Chamber on my next turn. I can hear the heavy breathing of the sleeping dragon guarding the piles of gold and jewels only feet away. My destiny awaits...
[Maddie] Maddie is about to also enter a room adjoining the Treasure Chamber. She walks in and a trap door opens beneath her feet. She must roll her Agility (7) or lower on a D12 to avoid the trap. She rolls an 11 and falls through the trapdoor taking a D6 worth of damage. She rolls a 6 and loses 6 Life Points. She now has 9 Life Points remaining.

Maddie has drawn a trapdoor. Each of us is about to enter the Treasure Chamber.

Turn 11
[Me] I cautiously enter the Treasure Chamber being careful not to wake the sleeping dragon. I get to pick twice from the treasure tile cup. I draw a total of 2,390 gold pieces worth of treasure. What a haul! I am thrilled but then I go cold as I remember I must also draw from the dragon tile cup. There a 8 dragon tiles; 7 are sleeping dragons and 1 is the dragon awakened.

What a haul! El-Adoran will party tonight! If he gets out alive that is...

Thankfully I draw a sleeping dragon tile. Phew!

[Maddie] Maddie also enters the Treasure Chamber on the same turn as me. She draws twice from the treasure pile. She chooses well, receiving 3,700 gold pieces worth of treasure. She has the highest amount of treasure and is technically winning. But she must get out alive to win.

Maddie scores more treasure than me on this turn.

Maddie is stealthy and does not awaken the dragon.

Turn 12
[Me] I decide to leave and not take any more treasure. There are 6 dragon tiles remaining which means that I would have a 1-in-6 chance of waking the dragon. And if Maddie also stayed she would have a 1-in-5 chance of causing the dragon to awake. If she woke the dragon I'd take the brunt of his fiery breath as well as I'd also be in the room. The risk is too high and I've only got 13 turns left to get out, and my way is barred by three portcullises. I go out into the room I came through.
[Maddie] Maddie states she will take more treasure. I carefully explain to her that she has a 1-in-6 chance of waking the dragon. She understands and chooses to take the risk. Maddie draws two more treasure tiles adding a further 840 gold pieces worth of treasure to her total. She is now sitting on 4,540 gold pieces worth of treasure. This is 50 gold pieces more than the total she escaped with in her previous game. I marvel at her luck.

More loot for Maddie.

She takes a deep breath and draws from the dragon tile cup and...

Oh no!

...she wakes the dragon! I see the tile a split-second before she does and I yell out. This sudden shout gives her a fright and she jumps in her seat. She looks at the dragon in shock and then she looks at me and says "You really scared me when you said that!" I smile to myself and think how the fright was a cool role-playing experience. Not that I did it on purpose, mind you, I was upset to see she'd pulled the woken dragon tile and couldn't help my exclamation.

Maddie immediately loses all her treasures. The dragon's breath causes D12 damage to her. She only has 9 Life Points left. She rolls an 8 on the D12 leaving her with only 1 Life Point remaining! She runs northwards out of the Treasure Chamber, with no treasure and badly burnt.

Turn 13
[Me] I go back the way I came in. I enter the first of the rooms blocked by a portcullis.
[Maddie] Maddie's luck is running out. The room she enters suffers a cave-in, obviously caused by the terrific energy blast of the dragon's breath. I know she is dead. First she must pick a number between 1 and 6 and say it out loud. If the number she picks is rolled she is dead, if not, she rolls a D6 and takes that many Life Points of damage. She is only on 1 Life Point so she is dead either way. She bravely plays it out. She chooses a 2 and rolls a 5 thus surviving the first part of the cave-in. She then rolls the D6 and takes 3 Life Points of damage. Poor Volrik the Brave dies in the cave-in.

Alas, poor Volrik the Brave!

Turn 14
[Me] I can still make it out alive with my 2,390 gold pieces worth of treasure. I spend the turn to use my one-shot magical Ring of Opening to open the portcullis blocking my way. I move into a corridor which then leads into an empty room. I plan to keep moving south until I pass the two remaining rooms blocked by portcullises and then join back on to my existing route to exit the way I came in.

Turn 15
[Me] The next room I enter contains a Champion of Chaos. I take a shot at him with my bow but the arrow misses. I choose to Wait and See what he will do. The Monster card reveals that he has 4 Life Points and will Combat me. We fight and I kill him but take 3 Life Points of damage in the battle. I now only have 3 Life Points remaining.

Turn 16
[Me] The next room is a Dead End! No! Thankfully it is empty but the only way for me to continue on is to do a Search on my next turn and hope I locate a Secret Door.

Turn 17
[Me] I search the room for a secret door. As I'm searching a Giant Centipede leaps out and bites me. I must take D12 worth of damage. I only have 3 Life Points remaining. It is too late to take a swig from the potion bottle I've been carrying around since Turn 3.

Ack! A Giant Centipede!

I need to roll a 1 or 2 on the D12 to survive. I roll a 5 and the poison kills me.

El-Adoran Sureshot dies, so close, yet so far, from the exit.

Even though our characters died we both had a great time. Maddie handled her character's death quite well. I'd like to try HeroQuest when she's a little older and a few years down the track introduce her to Dungeons & Dragons.

Asian House Gecko

Asian House Geckos first appeared in Brisbane in the early 1980s, probably arriving in shipping containers from South-East Asia. Now, in the evenings one can't fail to hear the distinctive 'chuck chuck chuck' call of the Asian House Gecko as it lies in wait for some unsuspecting insect drawn to the light of a window.

Here are some pictures of a baby gecko I found lurking on our back door. It's only about 4cm in length. If I ever catch an adult I'll upload some photos.

Alien Forest - 3

Here are some more pictures of dried flowers I used to create alien-looking trees for miniature wargames.

Not all trees and plants on alien worlds would be your stock-standard green as on Earth. Here I experimented a little to see if pink and blue would look alright. Hmmm...not too sure about that.

I was pleased with the look of the tan coloured trees. They look suitably alien but not too freaky.

Alien Forest - 2

Here are some more pictures of alien trees made from dried flowers. I'm not sure what these are called. They remind me of a combination of bamboo and poplar trees.

They are a bit fragile so I made sure to give them a good coating of watered-down white glue.

Alien Forest - 1

There's more to miniature wargaming than just buying and painting the miniatures. There's also terrain to consider. I mean, what sort of fun is it to play on a bare table?

Several years ago I was enthusiastic about playing Battletech on a battlefield with 3D terrain rather than the hexed paper mats that come with the game. It must have been around the time Maddie was born because I used the remnants of a bouquet of dried flowers my wife had received to make some alien trees.

I'm not sure of the name of these particular flowers but they appear to have been dyed green. They certainly look like something you'd find on an alien world. The construction was fairly easy as it was just a matter of gluing them on to card bases with white glue (PVA wood glue).

Gaming With Grandma - 13

My Mum came over this morning for our weekly gaming session. Our first game, chosen by Maddie, was Mamma Mia. This is a card game all about trying to make the most pizzas by playing both ingredient and order cards. It is played in 3 rounds. At the end of the 1st round Maddie, Grandma and I were all tied at 2 orders each. At the end of the 2nd round Maddie was sitting on 4 orders filled while Grandma and I were sitting on 3 orders each. I had a great 3rd round leaving the final score at Daddy 1st with 6 filled orders, Grandma 2nd with 5 filled orders and Maddie 3rd with 4 filled orders.

Maddie decided to stop playing at that point so Grandma and I broke out the Scrabble board. This game seems to be becoming a regular for us as we both enjoy it.

I went first after selecting a J to Mum's K. I'm going to start keeping a bit of a record of each game so I can refer back to them in the future.

Turn 1 [Me] JAR 20, [Mum] (R)IG 5

Turn 2 [Me] B(RIG) 10, [Mum] (J)OG 12

Turn 3 [Me] (G)REET 8, [Mum] H(E)ED 16

Turn 4 [Me] (B)IRD 7, [Mum] ZE(D) 13

Turn 5 [Me] RIT(Z)Y 34, [Mum] QUi(D) 23

Turn 6 [Me] KEP(I) 20, [Mum] (Q)UAD 42

Turn 7 [Me] Exchanged W & M for S & O, [Mum] (T)OOL 8

Turn 8 [Me] SI(ZED) 30, [Mum] (L)ET 3

Turn 9 [Me] SINO *Challenged off, [Mum] RA(K)E 8

Turn 10 [Me] I(R)ON 15, [Mum] (T)AN 9

Turn 11 [Me] F(A)UX 30, [Mum] (JOG)S 12

Turn 12 [Me] VIBE(S) 20, [Mum] CA(V)E 12

Turn 13 [Me] (CAVE)S 20, [Mum] HO(E) 10

Turn 14 [Me] (H)ONE 21, [Mum] (B)RAY 9

Turn 15 [Me] (S)AW 12, [Mum] A(JAR) 11

Turn 16 [Me] CAWL *Challenged off, [Mum] (E)EL 3

Turn 17 [Me] CL(A)D/D(O) 13, [Mum] WET/W(E) 12

Turn 18 [Me] VASe/(SAW)S 25, [Mum] NU(N) 3

Turn 19 [Me] FOI(L) 11, [Mum] (C)ON 5

Turn 20 [Me] PL(O)T 7, [Mum] TI(P) 5

Turn 21 [Me] M(Y) 7, [Mum] MIN(T) 12

I was left with a G for minus 2 points. As Mum had used all her letters she added the 2 points to her score.

Final scores were [Me] 308 and [Mum] 235. I averaged 14.67 points per turn with 3 of those turns being non-scoring turns.

Afterwards I checked online to find I could have made an acceptable 2-letter word of GI with the leftover G had I known.

Probably the most obscure words I played were CAWL, SINO and KEPI. CAWL was challenged off the board. It was an incorrect spelling of the word CAUL (the remnants of the amniotic sac, that covers or partly covers a newborn baby immediately after birth) of which I knew the definition (but not the correct spelling). SINO (as in the Russo-Sino War of 1904-1905) was also challenged off the board. KEPI was good (a cap with a flat circular top and a visor). The last two words reflecting my reading of military history.

The dodgiest word I played was FAUX (artificial or fake). Although Mum did not challenge it, I did try to locate it in our dictionary (The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary - 1977 edition) after it was played. Although it had FAUX PAS, it did not have FAUX. I think it's time to get a new dictionary! I checked online and found that FAUX was an acceptable word (as I expected it to be).

The longest words I played (as in number of letters used from my rack) were (G)REET and VIBE(S), both using 4 letters.

I didn't get too many combination words in this game, only VASE/SAWS and CLAD/DO.

My highest scoring word was RITZY which scored 34 points. Mum's highest scoring word was QUAD for 42 points. The letter allocation in this game appeared to be fairly even and each of us got a blank.

Mum and I have agreed we need to get an official Scrabble player's dictionary for future games.

Being Sick Sucks

I swear I've never been as sick in my life as I've been since I've had kids. It feels like everything they catch I end up getting. Last weekend our little 14 month-old daughter caught some virus which caused diarrhea and vomiting. Well, by Monday evening my immune system had raised the white flag and I'd also came down with it. I've been off work since Tuesday and have been feeling pretty miserable. Georgia's recovered fairly well thankfully, and although my worst symptoms have now for the most part eased, the whole experience has left me feeling drained, exhausted and pretty much wiped out.

So no Easter eggs for me this weekend. Still, that's probably for the best...

THIS... IS... SPARTA!

300 is a film based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. I've never read Miller's graphic novel but I am very familiar with the historical events of the Battle of Thermopylae.

In the last couple of months I've downloaded most of the trailers for this movie so was under no illusion that it would be an exact historical recounting of the actual battle. I was prepared for a fantasy version of the battle or, as as Frank Miller has said, the graphic novel/film is his view of the story of the 300 Spartans as told by soldiers round a campfire.

I saw the movie today and thoroughly enjoyed it. But then I've been a sucker for tales of heroism ever since I was a kid. I remember reading of Sparta as a boy and marvelling at their warrior society. This movie captures the sacrifice and glory of that small Spartan force holding out against the might of Xerxes' Persian army. If it encourages the average movie-goer to research the historical events then so much the better.

I predict that this will be one of those movies that is quoted for many years to come. There were so many cool lines that I can see being used by wargamers. For example, "This is where we hold them. This is where we fight. This is where they die!"

All the male actors had obviously worked out for their roles. Every one of them had magnificent 'six-packs' and bulging muscles. It's actually inspired me to get back into weight-resistance training and lose a few kilos of bodyfat. I'm going to blow the dust off my weights set and start working out. I want abs like that!

If you haven't seen the trailer for 300 then click on this YouTube link.

Harooh! Harooh! Harooh!

Craters

Several years ago (well, pre-kids) I'd wanted some craters for miniature wargaming. You see, I'd been reading wargames magazines like Wargames Illustrated, Miniature Wargames, and White Dwarf, and seen many really cool pictures of wargames in action. In many of the pictures the battlefields had craters on them. Well, I just had to have some. Sure, I could have bought them, but half the fun of this hobby for me is making stuff. So I decided to see what I could achieve.

I actually used a stiff vinyl, the sort of stuff that can be used for kitchen floor coverings, as the base. My brother-in-law who works in the carpet-laying industry had given me a few small off-cuts so I found a way to put them to good use. The vinyl is slightly flexible so I would not suggest using it as a basing material for large projects. As the craters were only the size of coins it was perfectly acceptable.

I used a mixture of Milliput and sand to build up the crater ring and then textured it with the end of a toothpick. After that it was just a matter of painting it and then drybrushing to pick up some of the detail, plus a little flock around the edges and they were done. The largest crater in the picture is about 5cm across. Now I have craters that can be used on any battlefield from the gunpowder age to future science-fiction.

Rock Walls

I enjoy making terrain for miniature wargames. These are some rock walls I made several years ago from plaster using some cheap plastic molds. When the plaster dried I painted them and then glued them to card bases. Flock and static grass has been added to make them a little more realistic. The longest rows are about 30cm in length. I'd planned on using them for 20mm WWII gaming or perhaps some sort of 25mm skirmish.

April Fool!

Yesterday's post 'A New Addition To Our Family' was an entire fabrication for April Fools Day. Just in case anyone was wondering, it is illegal to keep any native mammals as pets in Queensland.

A New Addition To Our Family

Maddie has wanted a pet kangaroo for years. I looked into it last year but apparently our state law prohibits you from keeping a kangaroo as a pet unless your enclosing fence is at least 1.5 metres high. Kangaroos cannot jump this high you see. Unfortunately, the fence around our back yard is of the older type at just 1.2 metres so we cannot legally keep a kangaroo. Maddie was disappointed but there's no way I'm going to spend thousands of dollars to upgrade our fence just for a pet.

So yesterday, we were all at the local shopping centre and walking past the pet shop when Maddie screamed out in delight. She dragged us over to some cages at the front of the pet store. As I got closer I saw what she was excited about. They had three young wallabies for sale. A wallaby is any macropod that isn't large enough to be considered a kangaroo and has not been given some other name.

"Mummy, Daddy, can we get one?" I looked at my wife and knew straight away what the answer was. You see, my wife is a big animal lover and she'd always wanted a kangaroo as well. I went inside to talk to the shop assistant. I found out that as wallabies cannot jump as high as kangaroos our fence would be of sufficient legal height to contain one. These particular wallabies had also been given the appropriate vaccinations and were neutered.

The wallabies were AU$395. That sounds expensive but when you consider the average pedigree dog is easily going to set you back anywhere from AU$700 - AU$900, then wallabies are a bargain. Sure, they can't fetch a stick, but you'll never have to mow the back yard again as a single wallaby will keep the grass cropped to an acceptable level. In these environment-conscious times that's a big consideration.

So we decided to get one. I also bought a couple of bags of 'Wallaby Tucker' which is just like small dog food biscuits and can provide the wallaby with essential minerals and nutrients to supplement its diet of grass. Maddie chose the cutest one, a female, and said "I'm going to call her Fluffy!" So now we have a new addition to our family. Here's a picture of Fluffy.

Fluffy in our back yard