May 12, 2024: Questionable Game Purchases?

I'm not sure if this'll spark an interesting discussion or reveal my own idiosyncrasies, but that describes how I've approached social interactions for the past 30+ years. So, here's my query: What's a "questionable" game purchase you've made? This isn't necessarily the biggest game you've bought (big games are cool!) or a game you didn't enjoy (mistakes happen), but rather a purchase you knew going in that you couldn't quite justify, but – darn it – you pulled the trigger anyway.

I've bought lots of stuff I've thought better of, but I'll share the first one that sprang to mind when I formulated this topic. I saw a dice set I loved; as they often are, it was a standard polyhedral set for . . . some big game out there? I think it had an ampersand? Not important. Anyway, I loved the set, but couldn't quite justify it, because I didn't really play the ampersand game; I played GURPS. And . . . [more]

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May 11, 2024: Vote For Munchkin Digital

Every year, Board Game Geek holds the Golden Geek Awards to celebrate the best in tabletop gaming. The awards are presented every year at the BGG.Con event in Dallas, Texas – and this year, you can help Munchkin Digital get on the podium.

That's right – not only is your favorite game of dungeon delving and backstabbing available in digital form, but it has also been nominated for Best Board Game App for 2023. We'll need your help to win, so head to https://boardgamegeek.com/geekawards/boardgame and cast your vote. (You'll need to make a free BGG.com account to get started.)

Voting closes on May 12, 2024, so don't delay! Vote for Munchkin Digital, then tell your friends to do the same!

-- Katie Duffy

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May 10, 2024: Race Into The World Of Car Wars With CARnage 2!

Return to the autoduel arenas of the future! Car Wars fans can now back the next part of our CARnage STL series on Kickstarter.

CARnage 2 is a massive set of STL files that will allow you to 3D print dozens of Car Wars scale models: cars, crew, accessories, arena terrain, and more!

The two newest cars, Meteor and Boomslang, can be printed in armed, "naked," or wrecked forms. You can also print wrecked versions of existing cars Sawtooth and Pure Energy. Add Superfans Billy Bob and Esteban, with three of their friends, to toss an occasional shot into the speeding chaos. Pick weapons from the Fake Machine Gun to the Super Magnet and the Wrecking Ball. Accessories range from the valuable (more classy spoilers) to the, ahem, personal (truck nutz and longhorn hood ornaments). And drive around, or through, new arena obstacles. You can do it!

The most exciting pledge level is the $1,000 Superfan . . . [more]

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May 9, 2024: App Recommendation: Joplin

I take a lot of notes and visit a lot of webpages for research. I find it invaluable to be able to scoop up info from interesting pages, copy bits of code or ephemera that have proven useful, and save recipes. (I have a lot of recipes . . .)

As far as software that does what I need, I can recommend Joplin. I've been relying on it for over 5 months, and it works great. It lets you type in "fresh" notes as you think of them, or – with a suitable extension installed – copy bits of websites that catch your eye. All its data is stored locally (encrypted, if you like), and it can sync via Dropbox or any similar service you might use.

Joplin is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS. Oh, and it's free and open source. It updates often, so I feel pretty confident I'll be able to use it for a while. It's a bit finicky to set up, especially if you want to be clever and sync . . . [more]

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May 8, 2024: Eurovision Fever!

It's flashy and fun. It's colorful and vibrant. It's a spectacle of songs and props and pyrotechnics and costumes. It's the biggest music competition in the world.

It's the Eurovision Song Contest!

Each year beginning in 1956, countries across Europe (and in later years, Australia) have sent their very best performers to compete for the trophy. From Albania to the United Kingdom, Eurovision has drawn hundreds of millions of watchers each year.

Even if you've never heard of Eurovision before, you most likely know two of the most famous winners: Celine Dion (1988, representing Switzerland) and ABBA (1974, representing Sweden). You may have seen the extremely popular Will Ferrell movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

This year's event, with the theme United by Music, will take place in Malmö, Sweden. The host country is the home of the previous . . .

[more]

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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The Legion of Doom is the shiftless skateboard; Gerald Ford flies to the South Pole. May 12, 2024: Questionable Game Purchases? I'm not sure if this'll spark an interesting discussion or reveal my own idiosyncrasies, but that describes how I've approached social interactions for the past 30+ years. So, here's my query: What's a "questionable" game purchase you've made? This isn't necessarily the biggest game you've bought (big games are cool!) or a game you didn't enjoy (mistakes happen), but rather a purchase you knew going in that you couldn't quite justify, but – darn it – you pulled the trigger anyway. I've bought lots of stuff I've thought better of, but I'll share the first one that sprang to mind when I formulated this topic. I saw a dice set I loved; as they often are, it was a standard polyhedral set for . . . some big game out there? I think it had an ampersand? Not important. Anyway, I loved the set, but couldn't quite justify it, because I didn't really play the ampersand game; I played GURPS. And . . . [more] Share this post! May 11, 2024: Vote For *Munchkin Digital* Every year, Board Game Geek holds the Golden Geek Awards to celebrate the best in tabletop gaming. The awards are presented every year at the BGG.Con event in Dallas, Texas – and this year, you can help Munchkin Digital get on the podium. That's right – not only is your favorite game of dungeon delving and backstabbing available in digital form, but it has also been nominated for Best Board Game App for 2023. We'll need your help to win, so head to https://boardgamegeek.com/geekawards/boardgame and cast your vote. (You'll need to make a free BGG.com account to get started.) Voting closes on May 12, 2024, so don't delay! Vote for Munchkin Digital, then tell your friends to do the same! -- Katie Duffy Share this post! May 10, 2024: Race Into The World Of *Car Wars* With *CARnage 2! Return to the autoduel arenas of the future! Car Wars* fans can now back the next part of our CARnage STL series on Kickstarter. CARnage 2 is a massive set of STL files that will allow you to 3D print dozens of Car Wars scale models: cars, crew, accessories, arena terrain, and more! The two newest cars, Meteor and Boomslang, can be printed in armed, "naked," or wrecked forms. You can also print wrecked versions of existing cars Sawtooth and Pure Energy. Add Superfans Billy Bob and Esteban, with three of their friends, to toss an occasional shot into the speeding chaos. Pick weapons from the Fake Machine Gun to the Super Magnet and the Wrecking Ball. Accessories range from the valuable (more classy spoilers) to the, ahem, personal (truck nutz and longhorn hood ornaments). And drive around, or through, new arena obstacles. You can do it! The most exciting pledge level is the $1,000 Superfan . . . [more] Share this post! May 9, 2024: App Recommendation: Joplin I take a lot of notes and visit a lot of webpages for research. I find it invaluable to be able to scoop up info from interesting pages, copy bits of code or ephemera that have proven useful, and save recipes. (I have a lot of recipes . . .) As far as software that does what I need, I can recommend Joplin. I've been relying on it for over 5 months, and it works great. It lets you type in "fresh" notes as you think of them, or – with a suitable extension installed – copy bits of websites that catch your eye. All its data is stored locally (encrypted, if you like), and it can sync via Dropbox or any similar service you might use. Joplin is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS. Oh, and it's free and open source. It updates often, so I feel pretty confident I'll be able to use it for a while. It's a bit finicky to set up, especially if you want to be clever and sync . . . [more] Share this post! May 8, 2024: Eurovision Fever! It's flashy and fun. It's colorful and vibrant. It's a spectacle of songs and props and pyrotechnics and costumes. It's the biggest music competition in the world. It's the Eurovision Song Contest! Each year beginning in 1956, countries across Europe (and in later years, Australia) have sent their very best performers to compete for the trophy. From Albania to the United Kingdom, Eurovision has drawn hundreds of millions of watchers each year. Even if you've never heard of Eurovision before, you most likely know two of the most famous winners: Celine Dion (1988, representing Switzerland) and ABBA (1974, representing Sweden). You may have seen the extremely popular Will Ferrell movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. This year's event, with the theme United by Music, will take place in Malmö, Sweden. The host country is the home of the previous . . . [more] Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 428th Secret Master here today. (29851105 since August 1, 1995)