Dropzone Commander - the Unboxing

One way that I judge a new game is the introductory boxed set. Some come with a few models, a cheap rulebook, but not enough to really get started.  I knew what I was getting, I had done some research. It's one thing to read about it on another site but totally different when you actually get it. Hawk has done an outstanding job with their two player starter set. enough words - on with the opening!

This is the large and heavy box I got in the mail after ordering the two player starter set.

 With the tape broken and the boxed now open I saw my prize for the first time! I love the cover art.

The back of the box to let you know just what you are getting into.  Oh the excitment!

Pulling back the bubble wrap I'm greeted by plastic sprues. They are gorgeous!  The boxed set comes with three of the same sprue for UCM as well as the Scourge.  This is the full starting force for both UCM and Scourge. Once you assemble your models you can start playing.

You get an extra Bear APC which can be proxied as a Kodiak until you get the actual model. The plastic is sturdy and hard.  All the models have great detail except for the infantry.  I'll live with that since once they are on the table you won't notice the lack of details on them.

Along with the two full starting forces you get ten buildings.  My only complaint was one of the buildings was kind of scrunched.  Hawk might think of a better way to package them, but with a little work and tacky glue I was able to sort it out. As complaints go - another very minor one. The building was still usable.

You also get two large city maps to put together for your battlefield. There are two starter army quick reference sheets that also have the cheat sheets for energy to armor damage ratios. You get a full sheet of tokens for objectives, focal points, possible objectives. You get the blast/landing zone templates.  The big deal here is the FULL Dropzone Commander 1.1 rulebook. The book is beautifully illustrated and contains all of the core races (before the Reconquest expansion) and lots pictures of fully painted miniatures for reference.

But wait - there's more!
On top of the two full starter sets, tokens, buildings, and rulebook you also gets . . .

Ten decently sized D6s and a tape measure. Not some red S&M whip thingy, but an honest to goodness tape measure.  You get all of this for between $75 and $95 depending on how you order your gaming stuff.

This is surely a loss leader for Hawk but it did the job for me.  I got the starter set and then immediately began to formulate the expansion for my UCM army.  Two friends (or even acquaintances) can each get a boxed set and trade one set of models for the other - and you can get about 1100 points for each.


I was hoping they would do an alternate release of the starter set but with PHR and the Shaltari - but I'm happy that they are about to release those starter armies in plastic as well.

Hawk has done a bang up job of providing a starter set that you get everything you need to start the game and play. You have two full and viable forces that you can learn the tricks and tactics of. From there you can begin expanding your army. If you are looking to start Dropzone Commander then the boxed set is a great way to go.

The Dresden Files

I've been reading all my life. I've read many different things. Some books I've struggled through, some I've really enjoyed. And then there are some series that I've not been able to put down until I've finished. David Weber's Honor Harrington series was passed around like crack among my friends. We read it and got every new book that came out.  The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher has become my new reading crack.

For those who are not familiar the Dresden Files follow the adventures of Harry Dresden, a modern day wizard and private investigator. That's right, he's a wizard, even says so on his door.  The writing style of the series is hard boiled, first person noir.  It is a detective series told through Dresden's point of view.  He narrates and weaves a compelling tale. Throw in a damsel in distress and some magical bad-ass villains and you have the series. Kind of like Sam Spade but with wands and vampires. You see the world through Harry's eyes, and it isn't always a very pretty picture.  I had never read any detective stories before but these one grabbed my by the shirt, pulled me in, and made me hold on for the ride.

Dresden is a wizard who has led a hard life. He's tall, rail thin, and sports a duster, jeans, and cowboy boots. His trusty staff and blasting rod (think magic wand) are a part of his arsenal, as is the silver pentacle that he uses to focus his magic. He's a sucker for a woman in distress and a connoisseur  of modern geekism and pop culture references.


You learn that magic and monsters are all real. Most people just don't see them because both are hidden in plain sight and usually dismissed.  But the threats are real.  Each novel introduces a new magical concept, from vampires, werewolves, to necromancers.  In every book Harry gets a job as a PI. The jobs are never easy, never as they seem, and Harry usually ends up on the short end of a beating stick.

Magic in the Dresdenverse does not play well with modern technology. Cell phones, computers, modern cars, even microwaves often go on the fritz or even burn out when magic is used around them. Magic is potent and dangerous.

The monsters and fey are not the sanitized versions you see from Disney.  Think the original Grimm's fairy tales mixed crossed with Hannibal Lector. Many of the myths and legends are brought forward and explained. They can be utterly ruthless caring nothing for the sanctity of life.I find the mythology very well researched and interestingly presented.

I discovered Dresden by accident. It was actually through the short lived Sci-Fi channel series. I remember seeing adds for it but never had a chance to sit down and watch it. Alas, it was cancelled. When Hulu first appeared this was one of the shows and I gave it a chance. I was hooked.  The first hit was free, the rest was - not enough. I blew through the series but wanted more.  On a whim I ordered the first three-pack off of Amazon and then the freebasing began.

If you haven't read any of the books go ahead and start with Storm Front.  You can pick it up from just about any bookstore or Amazon.  I'd also recommend the TV-show. If you have Netflix it is streaming! If you like magic, mystery, a dash of daring-do, and no small mix of humor and sarcasm then I think you'll love the Dresdenverse.

The Hobbit - an Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit – an Unexpected Journey

Warning! There will be spoilers. If you do not wish to have some plot points revealed you may want to read after you have seen the movie. Continue at your own risk!

When Peter Jackson completed his Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2003 I knew it would only be a matter of time before he, or someone else, would come back and do the Hobbit. After many years and rumors production of the Hobbit truly began.  Probably the biggest controversy would be Jackson filming the movie at 48 frames a second instead of the standard 24. Despite the fact I knew there would be changes I was going to see this movie.

Peter Jackson is taking the original novel The Hobbit and breaking it into three movies.  An Unexpected Journey begins just before Bilbo Baggins going away party as he decides to tell Frodo the truth about his adventures with the dwarves some 60 years before. More importantly he will reveal how he got the One Ring. 

Many  years before the events of the Lord of the Rings we are introduced to the Dwarven kingdom of Erebor. Here the dwarves mine gold and jewels and make Scrooge McDuck’s vault look like a kiddie pool filled with pesos.  Dragons, too, love hoard of gold and Smaug is no different. The dragon captures the Lonely Mountain and displaces the entire people of the Dwarves.  These lonely souls wander from city to city selling their services as artisans waiting for the day when they will reclaim their home.

 Now just sixty years before the events of LoTR, Bilbo Baggins was a respectable hobbit. He was predictable and lived in a nice hole. He had no desire to leave the shelter of the shire. After all it would make one late for tea.   Gandalf the Grey has other intentions.  After a brief, and uncomfortable visit with the wizard, Bilbo disappears into his home content to continue.

That night however, Master Baggins is paid a visit by not one, not two, but thirteen dwarves and a wizard show up for dinner and promptly clean out his larder.  They reveal the reason they are at his not so humble hole – to find a burglar and help them take their kingdom back.  Bilbo declines, despite a guarantee of 1/14 of the treasure but after hearing the dwarves sing of their homeland he has a change of heart. And thus the fortunes of Middle Earth are forever changed.

An Unexpected Journey is not an exact translation of the novel but it remains faithful in most aspects. Things were added and modified. But the impetus is the same – the quest to the Lonely Mountain.

The Good

I have read many complaints that the 48 FPS made it look like a cheap BBC documentary. I did not see it in IMAX or 3D but I did not have this experience. I found the film beautiful to look at. The sets were exquisite and the exterior shots felt like I was truly seeing Middle Earth.  

Martin Freeman does a very good job of giving the younger Bilbo life and purpose. Sir Ian McKellan  continues to bring wonder and power to Gandalf.  Richard Armitage made me believe he was Thorin Oakenshield . Andy Serkis returns as the sinister Gollum, playing the ever famous game of Riddles with Bilbo.

The Dwarves – Each of the Thirteen dwarves is distinctly different. Some are young, others old and fat. While all are bearded they do not have the stereotypical beards you are accustomed to seeing. they are dressed differently and all carry different weapons. 

The action sequences are top rate, exciting, and fast paced. Many of the battles described by Tolkein maybe lasted a few paragraphs at best. Jackson and crew have expanded upon these quite nicely.

Despite the changes to the story I enjoyed how characters who did not appear in the Hobbit were brought in.  Rhadagast the Brown, the only other wizard mentioned in Middle Earth is introduced and played by the Seventh Doctor – Sylvester McCoy.  Galadriel (Cate Blanchet) and Saruman( Christopher Lee)  both journey to Rivendell to discuss Thorin’s Expedition. 

The expansion of the Story.  In the original novel we discover that there is a dark force that dwells in Mirkwood named only the Necromancer.  We learn through the Lord of the Rings that the Necromancer was none other than Morgoth’s Lieutenant Sauron. An Unexpected Journey takes this and runs with it.

The Bad

The Dwarves.  The quest is to reclaim the Dwarven Kingdom and here we have thirteen dwarves up to the task. Each is introduced but only Thorin seems to stand out.  This was an issue with the novel as well – while there are thirteen dwarves they are for the most part interchangeable.  While we see each dwarf, and some of them even have lines, Thorin was the only one I truly cared about. 

The movie is long. At almost 3 hours you might want to make sure you have used the facilities well before the movie starts.

The beginning is slow going.  While it has some exposition and some humorous scenes the movie takes a while to get moving. 

A series of very unlikely falls. There are a few points in the story where it was hard for me to suspend my disbelief.  Most of them involved falling. The company of dwarves, plus Gandalf, riding down a crevasse on the remains of a wooden bridge while escaping Goblin Town?  I think I found Indiana Jones leaping from an airplane and landing safely on an inflatable raft more plausible.

The Great Goblin.  I thought with all the different goblins and orcs that had been used in the previous three movies that the production crew could have come up with something better than this.  His voice was also off for me. Goblins and orcs always seemed to speak with a growl and with an air of menace. I thought the Great Goblin came across as a greasy used car salesman.  

The fact that this is part one – and I have to wait a bloody YEAR to see part two.  And then I will have to wait for part three. Damn your black heart Peter Jackson!

Conclusion

I enjoyed the movie.  Visually it is stunning.  I enjoyed the story, despite the changes and additions. It made me yearn to see the next leg of their journey – Mirkwood, the Elves, and finally the Lonely Mountain.  If you have the time to commit and loved the original Lord of the Rings you should go see this.

4 out of 5 stars

Battlestar Galactica - Blood and Chrome

Blood and Chrome is the upcoming Syfy telemovie.  It is being broken up into ten webisodes viewable through Youtube. Two episodes have been posted so far. This is all based off the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica.

Blood and Chrome  picks after the show Caprica, ten years into the Cylon war. In it we find a young William "Husker" Adama, fresh out of the Academy, and now assigned to his first post - the Battlestar Galactica. He is a hotshot pilot who is eager to fly a Viper and clash with the enemy of the Colonies - the Cylons.  Of course the life in the academy and the realities of war are two different things.

The first mini-episode introduces us to the young Ensign Adama, his copilot Coker. Instead of the Viper he was planning on taking to war  Adama is instead put into the cockpit of a Raptor, one of the reconnaissance and rescue vehicle. Where Adama is eager to prove himself in the war Coker, on the other hand, is a veteran who has seen more than his share.   He has seen the horrors of the war. Coker plans to muster out after his second mandatory tour. Together they are assigned a milk run, a simple pick up and delivery. Naturally this  run  turns out to be a bit more than either planned for.

The cast is a mix of youthful faces who have bought into the propaganda of the war and are ready to kill toasters and those who have actually been in the war and know better. I found the story engaging and fast moving. There was not a lot of build up, you are dropped into the middle of the war. The virtual sets are top notch and the exterior space shots are amazing. I did grow a bit tired of the quick pan shots as well as the lens flares.  I enjoyed the music, especially the homage to the original Stu Philips score for the original show.

I am eagerly looking forward to future installments.  These can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/machinima