Henry Gastineau

I blog about art far too little.  A fond memory from my time in England was the scenic countryside, dotted with evocative ruins.  Those scenes are captured beautifully in nineteenth-century artwork, be it paintings by people like JMW Turner or engravings by today's subject, Henry Gastineau.

I know nothing about Gastineau save that I love his work, and his scene of Raglan Castle (in south Wales) hung in my home for several years before it fell victim to one of my minimalist kicks.  A google image search (and another) gives you an idea of his capability and the beauty of his images.  A scanned book on Wales gives you more of the same.  And regardless of artist, who doesn't love Raglan Castle?  A nice selection of images here makes me want to hop on a plane . . .

The style of these nineteenth century engravings captivate me like no other portrayal of these magnificent structures.  Perhaps it's because so many ruins today have been 'restored' and cleaned up, denying them (to a degree) the overgrown and ancient quality reflected in these pictures.  Whatever it is, I enjoy them, and I hope you do, too.

Irresponsible (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 7)

While Peter and Mary Jane make up, Geldoff, a mutant in denial, uses  his power to blow up stuff at a nearby high school.  Spidey is handling that problem when a few X-men show up and take both back to meet Professor X.  While they're away, Peter's school is evacuated due to the 'mutant menace' and Aunt May is worried sick when she can't find him, revealing a long-standing frustration in their relationship.

Still good, I didn't like this book quite as much as the former.  Seeing the X-men is fun, but may introduce a story line potentially difficult to close in a series that has, to date, avoided expanding too quickly.  Additionally, Aunt May's talk with her therapist may provide necessary backstory, but also seemed to distract.

Rating: A-

Venom (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 6)

With all the hardship in Spidey's life, it's nice to get a break.  At first, Peter is delighted to re-unite with childhood pal Eddie Brock, whose parents died in the tragedy that took Parker's.  But when Brock shows him their shared legacy- a substance that bonds to the body, giving it ultimate strength- they soon find themselves in over their heads.  Venom is created . . . and a monster is born.

Another nice volume, this one looks at responsibility in handling power (a familiar topic for Spider-man).  Some things that promise great abilities come with terrible cost . . . and it's not always worth the price.

Rating: A

Public Scrutiny (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 5)

A renegade Spider-man terrorizes the city, shattering the image Peter built.  Family issues force Gwen Stacy to move in with the Parkers. Mary Jane is at her wit's end.  And another hero saves the city from Rhino.  Life isn't always good in Peter's world . . .

Another great volume.  What I liked most about this one was the brief look at responsibility.  Spider-man is late to the fight against Rhino because other people need him.  In a world of need, who do you save?  Do you focus on the biggest menace or handle local problems as they come?  It's a question we all ought consider.

Rating: A

Legacy (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 4)

Thought to be dead from the explosion* at Oscorp, Norman Osborne returns with a vengeance in Legacy.  Harry's back, too, and fully recovered from the ordeal . . . or is he?  Norman meets with Peter and reveals his Green Goblin nature, demanding Parker's servitude or else.  Spidey and his loved ones are in danger; Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. may be able to help . . . but will it be in time?

The series is still going strong- I enjoyed this and tore through it quickly.  Parker is beginning to explore how family and friends can be affected by his reality . . . and he needs to learn how to protect them.

Rating: A

*see Volume 1

Android: Netrunner

Today's review is of the 2012 release, Android: Netrunner.  For 2 players, it takes 45 minutes.

Overview
In a dystopian future, netrunners vie for the upper hand against huge corporations.  The latter have agendas that, when advanced to a sufficient degree, earn them points.  The former are hackers looking to infiltrate the system and get the agendas (and points) for themselves.  But the corporate pockets are deep, and defenses many . . .

Simplified Gameplay
Android: Netrunner is an asymmetric game.  The corporation is 'defense' and plays servers, enhancements, and "ice" systems to protect themselves (by playing the cards directly in front of a given column).  The netrunner is 'offense' and players programs, hardware, and resources to bypass the corporate ice systems and access the servers.

On each player's turn, they get a certain number of action points (called 'clicks').  Either side can use those clicks to 'install' (play) cards (face-up or -down), earn credits, draw cards, or perform other actions specific to their role:
- Netrunners can do 'runs' on a given column to gain access to whatever's in that column.  The ice systems in that column, if 'rezzed' (turned face up by paying the specified cost), block the player and require levels of strength and certain abilities/resources to bypass.  If successful, the runners can take agendas (earning points) or trash resources to harm the corporation.  
- The corporation can advance agendas (completing them to earn points), or deploy additional ice systems.  First to acquire seven agenda points wins (the netrunner also wins if the corporation's deck runs out of cards).  A game in progress is below.

image from here

Review
This is a good game.  It's simple enough once you get the hang of the terminology and action point system. The interaction is good and mechanics sound. A Living Card Game, it's also customizable through purchase of additional card packs. My only complaint is the degree of luck involved. I've played three times- always as the netrunner- and I often spent a lot of resources to make runs on a given column. No problem there, but when that column turned out to be worthless or an ambush, it was difficult to recover from that- both to pay any penalties involved and replenish resources for another run. But then, there are other luck components (like a good card draw) that can rebalance things. Ultimately, I'm not a dystopian future fan (the theme didn't appeal to me), but I understand why this game is highly regarded.

Rating: A-

Double Trouble (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 3)

Dr. Otto Octavius, injured in the explosion that created the Green Goblin,* awakens from a coma to find four metallic arms welded to his body.  Frantic with rage but plagued with amnesia, "Dr. Octopus" sets out to find and destroy Justin Hammer, the person Otto believes responsible for his condition.  Meanwhile, Kraven the Hunter arrives from Australia with one target on his mind: hunting Spider-man.  Finally, new girl Gwen Stacy arrives in Peter's high school and immediately makes her mark.  Is Spidey up for all this?

Volume three continues the excellent series.  Art, story, humor, message, and dialogue are all good.  Here, the media starts to understand that Peter isn't the bad guy.  He, meanwhile, isn't focused on misperceptions but his ultimate calling: to use his great power responsibly for the good of all.

Rating: A

*see Volume 1

Fantasy Realms

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Fantasy Realms.  For 3-6 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview
Build your kingdom wisely!  Each player is dealt seven cards, representing your realm.  Each card has:
- a unique title
- suit (there are ten: army, wizard, leader, weather, weapon, artifact, land, flood, beast, flame)
- base point value (upper left)
- significant bonus (and/or penalty) based on other cards in your hand

the cards: image from here

Your goal is to earn as many points as possible.  Generally the base points are lower than the bonuses, so this game is all about combinations (see below).

Simplified Gameplay
On your turn, you:
- draw a card (choosing the top card of the draw pile OR any card in the face-up discard pile)
- discard a card

The game ends when there are ten cards in the discard pile.  Then points are totaled and highest wins!  It's that simple.

example hand: image from here

The example hand shown above is scored as follows:
Card Title     Base points     Bonus            Total
Beastmaster:       9           +     9         =     18 points
Forge:                 9           +     9         =      18 points
Unicorn:             9           +     30        =      39 points
Princess:             2           +      8         =      10 points
Bell Tower:        8           +      15        =      23 points
Book of Changes:3         +       9*       =       12 points
Candle:               2           +     100       =     102 points

Total points: 222

*Book of Changes ability makes another card into a weapon or artifact to gain another 9 point bonus (thanks to the Forge).

As you can see, the bonuses are much higher than base points.  So it's all about what combinations of cards you have.

Review
I like this game.  So simple, fast, and interesting.  There is a lot to keep track of . . . and difficult choices to be made.  All with just 53 cards!  This is a winner.

Rating: A

Learning Curve (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 2)

Reeling from his uncle's death, his new abilities, and Green Goblin's attack on his high school,* Peter Parker has a lot on his mind.  As he comes to grip with his powers, his search for his uncle's killer leads him to Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.  Frustrated by Fisk's control on the City, Parker decides to take him on . . . but is he in over his head?

Volume two of the Ultimate Spider-man story arc was as enjoyable as the first.  You see Spidey developing a passion for justice while coming to grips with his need to be circumspect in his actions.  He may be super . . . but he's not invincible.  In addition, Peter starts working at the Daily Bugle and lets his crush Mary in on his secret.  The story is still developing . . . and the foundation is promising.

Rating: A

*see volume 1

Power and Responsibility (Ultimate Spider-man Vol. 1)

Young Peter Parker has it rough.  His parents have passed, he gets bullied at school, he has typical teenager problems, and one day he gets bitten by a spider on a school trip to Oscorp.  He's just so fed up with it all . . . even his Aunt May and Uncle Ben can't understand.  But change is afoot . . .

Norman Osborne, owner of Oscorp, has his own problems.  On the verge of scientific breakthroughs, he needs human subjects and monitors Peter closely (that was no ordinary spider).  When Parker recovers from the bite, Osborne decides to inject himself with the toxin and see what happens.  The result will be explosive . . .

Developing amazing new abilities and donning the identity "Spider-man," Peter gets put to the test immediately as "Green Goblin" attacks his high school.  Parker must learn an important lesson: with great power comes great responsibility.

I've never read any Spider-man comics, but the Ultimate Spider-man story arc was recommended by a friend, and I see why.  The story is good (and well familiar to anyone who's seen the Spider-man movies); the art is, too.  It captures a good but flawed Peter, teenage attitude and all.  A solid first volume in the series, I look forward to more.

Rating: A

Kingdomino

Today's game review is of the 2016 release, Kingdomino.  For 2-4 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview
You are a ruler, anxious to expand your realm.  To do so, you'll add sections to your kingdom each turn.  Each section (a domino) has two types of terrain on it (forest, pasture, wheat field, lake, swamp, mountain), and may have one or more crowns on it, too.  You'll expand your kingdom (not exceeding a 5x5 grid), and earn points at the end of the game based on your crowns and contiguous terrain areas (see below).  Do you have what it takes to produce the most profitable kingdom in the land?

Simplified Gameplay
Kingdomino has 48 dominos, each uniquely numbered on the back.  Each turn, tiles are randomly chosen based on the number of players and placed in a column and sorted in ascending numerical order.

 Example: for a four player game, withdraw 4 dominos.  Their numbers are 32, 17, 25, and 7.  Place them in a column in this order: 7, 17, 25, 32.

Turn the dominos over so their terrain is visible.  Each player selects one domino and places their figure on it (the last player has no choice).  Then choose four more tiles following the same process and place that column next to the existing.  The player with the figure on the first domino of the first column then picks first in the next column of tiles, placing his figure on that tile and placing his original domino in his kingdom (next to his starting kingdom 1x1 square).

Turns proceed in such fashion, with each round being a 'draft' where the player who chose the smallest-numbered domino in the previous round chooses first in the next round.  Dominos are placed in your kingdom with two main rules:
- you must place at least one type of terrain adjacent to a matching one already in your kingdom.
- your overall kingdom cannot exceed a 5x5 grid (one domino is a 2x1 piece)

Once everything is placed, each player scores their kingdom by multiplying the number of crowns they have in a given contiguous terrain area by the number of terrain pieces in that section.  In the below example,
- the forest region equals 11 squares x 3 crowns = 33 points
- the wheat field = 5 squares x 1 crown = 5 points
- the mountain = 3 squares x 5 crowns = 15 points
- the lake = 1 square x 1 crown = 1 point
- the other lake = 2 squares x 0 crowns = 0 points
- the pasture = 2 squares x 1 crown = 2 points

Your total = 56 points.

A completed kingdom.  Image from here

Review
This is a nice little game- simple but fun.  The draft order is cool; generally, the more valuable tiles have higher numbers, so if you pick one of them in a given round, you'll have pick late in the following round.  That influences your choices and is a cool mechanic. The overall play time of 20 minutes is great.  I see why this won the Spiel des Jahres (German game of the year) this year.

Rating: A

Bohnanza

Today's game review is of the 1997 release, Bohnanza.  For 2-7 players, it takes 45 minutes.

Overview
Holy Beans, Batman!  In Bohnanza, your goal is to earn as much money as possible by planting bean fields and harvesting them for maximum profit.  There are eleven different varieties of beans in the game, and each field (you'll have 2 or 3 at any given point in the game) must contain beans of the same kind.  Once you plant a certain number of beans, you can harvest them for the amount of money indicated on the card (which varies based on number and rarity of beans).  Turn them in when the time is right and plant more to keep the money rolling in!  But beware- you must do something with all the cards in your hand, and that might mean you have to harvest your bean fields before they're ready, for little or no profit.  So plan carefully, and trade with other players when you can to keep your fields growing!

Each bean card has a title, a number near the bean showing how many of that variety are in the deck (generally, the fewer there are, the more valuable), and a range of values at the bottom that show you how much money you get when you harvest a certain quantity.  For example, there are 22 wax beans in the deck, and you need to harvest 11 of them to earn 4 gold (or 9 to earn 3, 7 to earn 2, 4 to earn 1).  There are only 10 black-eyed beans in the deck, and therefore you need to harvest only 6 of them for 4 gold.

varieties of beans (image from here)

The big thing to remember is you cannot change the order of cards in your hand- you must maintain the order in which you draw them.  You'll see why in the next section.

Simplified Gameplay
Each player starts the game with two bean fields.  On your turn, you perform the following steps:

1. plant bean cards
- You must plant the first card in your hand.  Ideally, this will match a bean you're already planting and you can add to that field.  If not, though, you must plant it in a new field, even if that forces you to cash in an existing field.  You can plant an additional card (the next in line), too, if you want, but no more than that.

2. draw, trade & donate bean cards
- Draw the top two cards of the deck and place them face-up for all to see.  You can entertain trade offers for them (or cards in your hand) or use them yourself (or even donate them if you'd rather do that than take them into hand).

3. plant traded & donated beans
- You must immediately plant any beans you received in step 2 through drawing, trading and donating.

4. draw new bean cards
- Draw three cards (keeping them in order) into your hand.

You can harvest your fields at any time, turning them in for the money indicated (the backs of the cards are used for monetary tracking).  Once per game, you can spend 4 gold for a third bean field, giving you more options.

Whenever beans are harvested, they're put face-up in a pile next to the draw deck.  Once the draw deck is exhausted, the harvested bean pile is shuffled to make a new draw deck.  Once the draw deck has been exhausted three times, the game is over.  Players harvest any remaining fields and add their total gold to determine the winner.

Review
This is a nice little game.  It's a fun theme with lots of trading/interaction necessary.  Maintaining card order in your hand takes some discipline and is an interesting twist, forcing you to make decisions you may not have otherwise (since you have to play the first card in your hand on your turn).  Overall, this is a winner, best played with more players (6-7).

Rating: A

The Last Gunfight (Jeff Guinn)

You've probably heard of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the shootout at the O.K. Corral.  Much has been made of this October 26, 1881 event in Tombstone, Arizona (including the 1993 movie Tombstone).  But in The Last Gunfight, Jeff Guinn separates legend from myth to find out what really happened and why.

I enjoyed this book, though I debated what exactly it was trying to be.  It was largely a biography of Wyatt Earp, covering his life extensively compared to other topics (Guinn's treatment is favorable to Earp but realistic, portraying him warts and all).  It was also an overview on the mining craze and resulting boom towns (with associated politics and culture) of the late nineteenth century.  And it included an investigation of (and fallout from) the famous fight, complete with evidence examination and courtroom recaps.  Ultimately, I think the title is misleading- this is mostly about Earp and his quest for borderline-vigilante justice against the bothersome and criminal cowboys of the age.  It was a decent read, and I look forward to reading more about the American West.

It's interesting to note that the shootout wasn't at the O.K. corral- it was in an empty lot nearby.  And Wyatt was revered by some but scorned by many for his actions there- it wasn't until decades later when Hollywood would turn him into a revered legend.

Rating: A-

Saying Goodbye

Death is both inescapable and devastating.  It shouldn't surprise any of us, yet even an expected passing leaves those who remain staggering.  Ultimately, it points us to an important truth- that things are not the way they are supposed to be- that the created order has been horribly distorted.  But on to today's post: how to live with what time we have.

A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to my wife's grandmother.  At 91 and in failing health, her passing was expected and even a blessing (she was in much pain).  Still, it's difficult for those who remain, and one reason why was how she lived.

There are many qualities that define a person- hobbies, talents, personality, vocation, appearance, and intelligence among them.  But the one quality that ultimately defines so much of our behavior is whether we're focused on others or ourselves.  And "g-mom" focused on others.  She managed her resources well, making life better for her family through her generosity.  She accepted each new stage of life with grace and a good attitude.  I knew her only in the latter stages; it's not easy moving to a retirement home, giving up the car, and dealing with diminishing independence and increasing frailty. Many handle these things poorly, making life difficult for everyone around them- yet she never did.  She didn't bemoan her station, complain, or become self-absorbed. 'Self' was rarely on her mind.  She lived responsibly and served those around her.  As her abilities diminished, she kept doing what she could for other people.  Same great attitude, same focus on others.  She was a joy to be around for this reason, and a great example to all.

Two years ago, another family member passed.  Unfortunately, his case was the opposite.  Self-absorbed in his retirement years, he increasingly isolated himself until he declined seeing even his immediate family in his final hours.  Ultimately, we lost him years before he actually passed, and he missed an opportunity to use his last season of life to serve.  In so doing he hurt himself and others.

As I reflect on these things, the ultimate lesson is "serve others."  It's not about me- even in retirement!!- and may I remember the words of the Lord:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:25-28

Thanks for serving others, g-mom.  May we do the same.