disenlighten's posterous

Phish - Camden, NJ 6/10/2011 Mini-Review Thing

"Every Phish show is good," my cousin Bill agreed with the guy sitting next to us during setbreak at the Saturday Vegas 2004 show. "Except for Thursday night," the guy added. "And last night... wasn't that great," clarified Bill. "Yeah, and that first set... wasn't very good either." The two nodded in agreement.

Why are many of us, as phans, inclined to think and talk this way? Seems silly to invest so much time, energy and money, only to inevitably complain about the outcome, no? There is definitely a spectrum of reactions to what Phish does nightly on the web. There are those who lash out with angry, impotent hate and there are others who feel that they need to honestly assess the performance without "fluffing" it. The latter is a delicate balancing act. I personally like to think that Phish knows what they're doing and wouldn't benefit from my advice. I try to remain thankful for the fact that the band is playing shows and that I have an opportunity to see and hear them. However, in practice that gratitude is sometimes all too human and flawed.

I relate this because these thoughts raced through my head as I hoped to see something great at Phish's appearance at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ. I had just seen a show in Mansfield, MA (p.k.a. Great Woods) the previous Tuesday and was frankly disappointed with it. It was good because it was a Phish show, but not a lot of standouts. I'd seen 5 shows since Phish returned in 2009 and caught many repeats of songs that don't particularly excite me. I missed the "Llama" opener at Mansfield which might have been a huge highlight for me. The Darien Lake show the next night looked like a crazy setlist that would have been awesome to see. So, it was up in the air what kind of show I'd see at Camden, usually a venue that is reputed to host amazing Phish concerts.

This time we got in early enough that I did not miss the opener = off to a good start. "Rocky Top" opener was huge! A longtime favorite of mine. I don't see or hear every Phish show on the tour, so a real deal Mike's Groove with "I am Hydrogen" is big for me. A great one to have seen! I have been chasing "Stash" since Phish started the current era and was thrilled to hear it.

I recall thinking to myself at this point, "How could Phish possibly screw up this show?" I received the answer soon enough: a 3.5 minute radio edit version of Tube. Then, "Guyute." I tried to enjoy the lights and the composed section in the middle.
Things picked back up for me when they busted into a "Guelah Papyrus," my first. "Scent of a Mule:" not a favorite either, but the crowd went crazy for it and it boasted a duel with some interplay between Trey and Page which I enjoyed. I used to dislike "Cavern," but I dig it now and I was happy to hear it live. Mike tore it up on that tune, but it was short. "The Sloth" is a good tune, IMO, and though this one wasn't the greatest version it was fun. I intuited at this point that none of these songs were from before 1994, which was impressive to me. "The Curtain" set-closer (HD video) was unexpected and people around me were wondering if we'd hear a "..With." Yes! This was welcome, and an unexpected way to end the set, with a melodic jam.

I hit up the Phellowship meeting at the setbreak in Mansfield, and it was a major high point of the show for me. I was able to hang with a lot of positive folks and felt good. I went to the table for the meeting in Camden to celebrate my 3rd sober show. I ran in to some friends and was happy for the fellowship of the folks there. It solidified why I was there doing what I was doing.

I heard the spacy tones that would likely signify "Down with Disease" as I ascended the stairs and sure enough, it dropped. I enjoyed the jam that it morphed into, but I have to say that I am hugely into the Providence Fall 2010 "...Disease" opener which this didn't compare to, for me.
I was hyped to hear a "Free." I love the song and the epic 11/22/1995 "Free" was my proper initiation into the band's live show. I didn't care that there wasn't a jam. Next up, "Possum" is one of those songs that I seem to see too many of, including one from two nights before. This one was better than Mansfield, I'd say. Back in the day I recall catching my first "Possum" at the Clifford Ball and being thrilled about it, but today it no longer does the same thing for me.

"Big Black Furry Creature from Mars" is fun. I'll take one any time. Fishman is punk. I busted out some pit dance moves that probably confused people near me. Basically, all I can say is that if you're a square and can't enjoy this song, there is nothing I can write here that could possibly help to clue you in. If this was 1997 or something, I might have complained about a "Swept Away"->"Steep," but not tonight. I enjoyed it, and it reminded me of good times listening to _Billy Breathes_. Lots of couples slow-dancing around us. "David Bowie" was another repeat from Mansfield, but I was OK with that because it's "...Bowie!"  "Julius" does not do a lot for me, I have to confess. A dude next to me was screaming and carrying on through it and I sincerely tried my damnedest to interpret what it was he was enjoying that I wasn't, but no dice. I was tired at this point and getting sore from standing, and I guessed that maybe "Golgi..." was the closer. I had a fresh memory of waiting in 2 hours of lot traffic to get out of Mansfield, so we decided to start hiking. I couldn't believe it when a "Fluffhead" started up! So, this had to be the set-closer... or was it? I checked out mobile Twitter feed on my phone and saw that I missed another "Joy." I will make the absolutely embarrassing confession that I walked out on the encore of Camden 2009 and missed the debut of "Joy." Sigh. Oh well. I like the song. I'd like to see it, but too exhausted to have risked sitting in more traffic.

This is very likely the last Phish show I will see this year, and it was a good one in its own special way. No show I've seen in the current era has been perfect and every one has in fact been riddled with the same types of bizarre problems, and I'm learning to live with it. Getting lawn tickets through the lottery when pavilions didn't sell out on the on sale date is the perfect metaphor for the kind of risk you take when you decide to buy a ticket. I would absolutely advise anyone against subjecting the show they see to the type of needless overanalysis that I've employed here. Have fun, travel safe, quit complaining, and may a tree of knowledge in your soul grow!


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Camden 6/10/2011, Photo: Michael Granit

108 and Damnation A.D. Demolish Philadelphia 2011

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the announcement for 108 and Damnation AD  at the Barbary in Philadelphia. I purchased my ticket the day they went on sale and anxiously awaited the day of the show, which arrived last Sunday 1/9. 

I made the pilgrimage through the snow and ice back to my old neighborhood for the show and passed the ugly Sugar House Casino that we fought for years to keep from being built. It occurred to me that this would be a good location to go and take a shit if needed.

The last proper hardcore show I saw was Grief and Dystopia in 1999, so at first it was a foreign feeling to be crammed in with a lot of folks in the dark in a tiny space. However, this was as much a spiritual quest to reconnect with my roots as it was about entertainment, and it proved to be all worth it. I arrived in plenty of time to see Skull Crusher take the stage. I had done some research on these guys before the show and bought their EP. They have a new fan! There are a lot of influences and styles at work in their music, but it results in a unique formula of fast, heavy, metallic hardcore brutality. They put a lot of energy into their performance and it was musically tight. Singer Ed introduced the song "Chase the Dragon" off of their EP with the summary, "...Addiction: fuck that." I'm with you on that. They played a new tune "Break the Mask" about "refusing to be something that you're not." Finally, they unloaded the blistering title track "Blinded by Illusion." I've seen enough bands in my life to be able to tell the difference between sincerity and trying too hard, and these dudes are deadly serious and play real deal hardcore.

I was intrigued to have the chance to see The Eddie Leeway Show. I remember seeing the badass cover art and write-ups of Born to Expire in Thrasher Magazine and I owned that album. Those dudes were legends of crossover back in the late 80's. I didn't really know all of the material, but I could appreciate everything they were doing, and the crowd was loving it. Once again, the musical skill of the band members was impressive, and despite the dive bar atmosphere of the space I could hear every instrument well.  Eddie mentioned that his drummer was 16 years old. That gives me hope for humanity that a kid that age nowadays plays this style of music with that level of skill! They closed the show with "Rise and Fall," the one tune I absolutely knew and the place went completely wild with stage dives and dancing. 

I've been a rabid fan of Damnation A.D. since 1994 and I was thrilled to see them set up. I removed the earplugs to fully hear the angelic/demonic frequencies being emitted by Ken Olden's axe. They opened up with "No More Dreams" and the crowd was whipped into a frenzy.  The set was filled with a lot of old favorites: "In Memorium" from No More Dreams and "Addiction" from Misericordia. Then, "Let Me In" from the latest album. "Sleep" and the "Hangedman" delivered more can't-miss favorites. To close, they busted out with "Hold Your Ground" which the band recently covered for the Revelation 150 comp. Their trademark loud, crushing sound has lost nothing and has gotten even more refined and technical over the past 16 years. The crowd energy that day even blew away some of the early DC shows I saw where people could only stand in awe as their expectations of what hardcore was evaporated in front of their eyes. 

Next, the audience welcomed Vision with a warm reception. I had never really checked these guys out, but I remember seeing pictures of them in magazines and their logo on flyers headlining with some of the greats of the old days. I was honored to have a chance to see a classic band and share the joy and community of folks who were obviously psyched to get down and sing along to these tunes. Lots of different styles were present, including straightforward NYHC, "skate rock," oozin' ah's choruses, and Descendents/All-esque bits. They took requests from the crowd, and busted out a Stiff Little Fingers cover "Suspect on Ice."

After a long day of being stiff from standing, I was absolutely prepared to see what 108 had to unleash on this place. They ramped up a powerful intro into "Curse of Instinct" and it was on! Fevered dancing and crowd sing-a-longs engulfed the stage. "Opposition"->"Deathbed" was super-heavy and intense and there was no doubt from the response that these were deeply-felt fan favorites. Rob announced "Arctic," apparently a Philly exclusive, and there was no let up with a segue into the pummeling blasts of "Invocation." "Declarations on a Grave," the opening track from New Beat from a Dying Heart  followed. Rob introduced "Son of Nanda," another nod to the era of Songs of Separation. He urged us to embrace only the things that are important to us in life, as all of our plans for the future could disappear "in the blink of an eye." This is the theme of "Forever is Destroyed," from the latest album, which the band teared into in earnest. A dark build-up of feedback and psycho-tronics, with the mantra "DON'T... EAT... ANIMALS!" led into "Killer of the Soul." These performances are about as far away from "going through the motions" as possible, and everything played and sung was heart-felt and flowed with emotion. "Being or Body" punctuated the close of the set and the crowd stood respectfully as the band continued into a tension and release jam over the beautifully-sung Maha Mantra. 

It was an incredible show with talented awesome bands, and a great crowd. I cannot overstate the technical prowess of these musicians and how good the years have been to their skill and dedication. I thought that maybe I'd missed my last chance to see 108 when I'd heard that Rob was leaving the band last year, and I'm thankful that I didn't and hope that they will continue to tour and create amazing music. Interestingly, my wife Jen later recounted a story of how when she was putting my son to bad at around the time I would have been waiting for 108 to come on, he was messing with an iPod on a dock and 108 randomly came on shuffle! He was shocked at first, but then began bobbing his head and digging it. Thanks to the bands, crowd, and to Joe Hardcore for a great day out. 

-Jamie P.

Links: 

Warmachine Battles: Menoth Vs. Cygnar, 35 points

Played a couple of games last week and here's what went down:

10/20 - 35 points at Showcase Bryn Mawr  - Opponent: Epic Stryker
I held off my opponents' advances using pFeora's Walls of Fire at a choke point in the terrain. I could not send Flamguard through because they were not immune to Fire. I took out two of his min. Stormlance unit, but he had one that escaped my wrath and walked around back to try to cause me trouble, tying up my Flameguard unit.
The Black 13th Strike Force wreaked havoc on me, taking out nearly an entire unit of Cleansers with Mage Storm. I beat on his Lancer pretty good. Finally, one of his Hammersmiths ran through the Wall of Fire and beat up one of my Vanquishers all the way down the board until he could effectively threaten Feora. I couldn't get her close enough in range at any time to use my feat, which has been a frustration for me.

10/23 - 35 points in Jamestown, RI against my nephew Marc -  Opponent: Haley Prime
I used the same list. It was a long, drawn-out battle. At first, we set a 90 minute time limit, but the game ran for nearly 4 hours! Lots of mistakes and rule misjudgements for me, which ultimately cost me. I have carefully documented the problem points for future reference. My Flameguard got trampled by a Cyclone, but I ended up tying him up in melee for the rest of the game and had some troopers on his back arc, which caused him lots of hurt. Marc consistently rolled to put out the continuous fire caused by my weapons. Lucky!  By the end of the game I took out nearly a whole unit of Stormguard. One of my Vanquishers was killed by an Ironclad in melee. The Black 13th tried assassinating Feora, but it wasn't meant to be. Finally, it came down to a girl on girl 'Caster duel. Haley couldn't get the job done with Chain Lightning. On the next turn, Feora cast Engine of Destruction and charged into melee. Unfortunately, I was so excited about the SPD bonus, I forgot to apply the MAT and STR bonuses and missed some hits in close combat. (Of course, my nephew didn't remind me of these buffs. Write it on a token next time!) Next turn, Feora succumbed to a hit on the back arc from the Ironclad.

Chalk up two more devastating losses for me. There are yet more lessons to be had. In the Karate Kid, they try to portray Kreese as a bad, unreasonable guy with his mantra "An enemy deserves no mercy!" In reality, this is a central tenet of martial arts and war more generally. I say unto you: Crush your enemies with brutal force, don't shy away from overkill, and neglecteth not thy buffs!

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Mini-Review of Phish, Providence 10/22/2010

I had some harsh luck with the Tickets by Mail lottery for Fall Tour. I got shut out of Providence and  Atlantic City shows on both counts. Luckily, my Mom came through and waited in line at the Civic Center box office (!) to hook me up with awesome seats for my birthday! So, no Halloween for us, but we made the trip up to RI to catch Phish's first show in Providence since 1999.
People were saying beforehand that this wasn't a hot ticket, which was nonsense to me since this is a classic venue of Phishdom: see 12/29/94, 12/12/95, 4/4 and 4/5 of 1998... I never doubted that this would be a blowout. Jen and I brought my cousin to his first show and met up with my niece and her friends in the city.
I sought the assistance of the Phellowship and made the conscious decision to remain substance-free throughout the show.  I felt amazing and have no regrets about it. They are a great bunch of folks and I stopped by the table before the show to make a donation and say hello.
The house lights dimmed and the band started in earnest with spacey tones that could only signify one thing: "Down with Disease" opener. Very well done, with some killer soloing from Trey. Huge crowd energy right from the start.
Next up, "Funky Bitch." I was a fan of a good "'Bitch" back in the day, and remember getting psyched about the 4/4/98 version, but this didn't get me super-excited. Good playing, and more awesome solos, but a standard version. "Fluffhead" was precise and I tried to lose myself in the complexity and oddity of the composed sections. I haven't seen a 'Fluff in a long time and it was a good treat. Trey then began strumming a rhythm which morphed into "Roses are Free," my first. Then, "Rift" was... "Rift."
I was hopeful for "the Moma Dance," but alas it is a song that works fantastically when it spawns a sprawling funk jam, which was not to be that night. I took a much needed break during "Ocelot," and apparently wasn't the only person with that idea from the looks of the lines in the men's room. I don't get why dudes feel the need to taunt the guy in front of them that they're "taking too long." These folks must have supreme confidence in their own urethra's... or possibly not.
"NICU," "Sample in a Jar:" both standard first set fare. You can see what's happening here. Hey, it's a Phish show, so it was a good time, but the crowd seemed mostly out of it at this point, and not in the way that you might think. I recall feeling like I was watching the show on video and was divorced from the experience of being present at a live concert. "Julius" closer? Phish was holding in something that promised to explode for 2nd set.
Sure enough, "Rock n' Roll" opened the 2nd set and the crowd went wild. A tight exploration with awesome, dark, type II jamming at the end. Then.... the FIRE! "Carini," super dark and noisy, had the place going bonkers.
A new tune followed: "My Problem Right There." It was fun and I enjoyed the lyrics. A well-deserved break before... An awesome version of "Mike's Song!" Massive glowstick war during the bass/percussion section. In a surprise move, the band segued into "Sanity," which I enjoyed. It was an extra crazy, spooky version with a Halloween-kinda vibe.  Then, at the end, amidst demented laughter and flickering lights, the band sustained minutes worth of wall-of-sound doom. I was loving it! It was impossible not to become immersed in the vibrations of the discordant noise. The crowd was dumbfounded. Eventually Mike signaled "Weekapaug..." with his bass lines and back to Earth we went.
The party continued with "Suzy Greenburg." Page busted out on his Moog Little Phatty for one of the interludes. I was psyched to see "Light" again since I keep reading about how they're pushing the boundaries of this song nightly and I've been impressed with what I've heard from this tour. Some enjoyable, spacey jamming and improv.
I've been seeing a lot of "Character Zero's" lately, too many you might say, and it doesn't do a whole lot for me, but I tried to enjoy it considering that it likely could have been the set-closer. But... no... are you kidding me? "2001!"  People went bananas! Well-placed, Phish. Finally, "Loving Cup," a proper set-closer, which takes on new significance since last Halloween.
All in all, we had a great time, and the 2nd set was well-worth the trip. I was thinking that if this had been my first show back in '95, I would still have become a dedicated fan of Phish that was "hooked" for life. These guys have had a busy schedule and it can't be taken for granted that they'll want to keep doing it forever, so every chance to see a show is a gift. Thanks to Phish, the Phellowship, and my loved ones for a good time.


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Photos by Jennifer Martel

Warmachine Battle Report: Feora Falls to Lylyth in Media

I attended the Warmachine/Hordes Mid-Atlantic Team Tournament this past Saturday 10/9 at the Showcase Battle Bunker in Media, PA. I had been preparing for this tourney over the course of 2 months, building and painting for it specifically. I found out more recently that I wouldn't be able to play every round in the event because of family obligations, but I decided to go for it anyway to try to get in at least one hefty 50 point game.

I thought that I had a strong list and had been studying tactics, synergies, etc. in anticipation. In the end, that didn't help the fact that I hadn't yet played with a couple of my units, and the turns were limited further to 10 minutes each. The turnout at the event was huge: 44 people from 4 states. It was exciting! I've never seen the Battle Bunker that packed. I met a lot of cool, friendly people, and talked to plenty of newbs, but I got matched with a guy who was clearly an experienced player.  I was hoping to write about my first tournament victory, but instead I will be writing about a litany of terrible, stupid mistakes and their aftermath.

My opponent fielded Legion of Everblight with Epic Lylyth. I had never played against Legion and tried to look over his cards, but didn't successfully memorize anything except for Lylyth's feat. The scenario was "close quarters" - each player has an 8 inch control area on their half of the board, and the goal was to occupy the other player's area with a unit, solo, or jack/beast to gain a control point, 1st player to 2 points wins.

I lost the opening roll, my opponent opted for me to go first, and took the larger Steamroller deployment. He also had advanced deployment troops which was beneficial in this specific scenario. I admit that I was nervous, and I made my first stupid mistake early: when setting up my army, I formed them as if I was going to be battling to occupy _my_ control area. <sigh.> I was nervous that I did not know any of my opponent's models' rules. I asked him before we started if any of his models had Stealth. Yes, he had a full unit of archers with it, and his Warlock had a spell where she could give it to her battlegroup. Bollocks. So, my 2nd major mistake was (mis)understanding Stealth to mean that those models could not be _targeted_ by a ranged or magical attack. I found out afterwards that you can target them, but the attack automatically misses. In the case of my Vanquishers, which my force heavily relies upon, this does not discount them from still doing a lot of damage and causing problems.

During my first turn, I had a lot of problems with my models starting out clustered, and could not clear the lanes effectively to move them. My main units were slow, SPD 4, and I felt like I didn't get them far out enough to put them into range. I had to march my Exemplar Bastions across the board and they didn't make it far. I forgot to use one of my Vassal's actions. I moved the Flameguard + UA out and cast Ignite on them -- this was not useful since they would not see melee combat that turn. The Choir chanted Passage on my jacks to protect them from Ranged attacks. This wasn't a bad idea, since I intuited that he was running a shooty list.

On my opponent's first turn, he started up the shooting gallery, taking out most of my Flameguard with his archers and setting my Bastions on fire. I split up the damage between the Bastions with Sanguine Bond, but there was still heavy damage. He gave Lylyth's battlegroup the Stealth ability as expected. He moved his cavalry through a forest and threatened my Flameguard Cleansers and attacked my Vanquisher. I was surprised at the ease of taking out my unit, even with shield wall.

For the next turn, I struggled to get my models closer to melee where they could engage his troops with Stealth, but it seemed really slow-going and it was still hard to get units out of each others' way. I upkept Ignite on the Flameguard which would prove to be a waste of focus.  I took a shot with a Vanquisher at his Swordsmen and it missed and failed to do any damage with the scatter. I then cast Enliven on that 'Jack to allow him to move the next time he was attacked. The Choir protected two of my jacks with Passage again. I then battled his cavalry and made some good rolls to take them out of the picture. I even had some success with the Cleansers' melee weapons! The bad news was that I was not watching the clock carefully enough and my turn expired without getting to Activate Feora! Not good.

By his next turn, he was ready to pop Lylyth's feat, which spelled doom for me (+4 range on attacks + an extra attack.) He wiped out my entire unit of Flameguard with the exception of 2 models + the UA, and all but 1 Bastion. He managed to push back one of my Vanquishers and knock it down which nullified Enliven. My opponent was extremely fast at making rolls and calculations which is the total opposite of my play style of needing to look at cards and do math in my head at a first grade level where I visualize actual imaginary objects being subtracted. He also took advantage of the once-per-game extra 5 minute turn extension to maximize the casualties.

His feat turn badly weakened my army & I was feeling desperate and unsure of how to proceed. I kept most of the focus on Feora and fed my Vanquisher with souls from the Reclaimer. I forgot the correct reading of his rules and only bought 1 focus point with 3 souls. :( I killed his last cavalry model & still ended up with a focus point going unused. I activated the minifeat on my remaining Flameguard + UA to give them an armor buff. I shook knockdown on the other Vanquisher and made a normal movement to get closer to melee range with his Swordsmen. Time was already running short and I decided that it was critical to activate Feora Prime. At this point, I measured her control area for her feat and only 1 enemy model was affected... I used the remaining focus to cast Engine of Destruction to advance her across the field,  hoping to  stick around long enough to do the same next turn and use her feat to set his models on fire.

I made a critical mistake at that point, which was to move Feora along the only open path for Engine of Destruction, thus opening her up unexpectedly to multiple lines of sight for shooting attacks. He cleared the way to take debilitating shots on Feora and ended it quickly with some exacting rolls. No one earned any control points or even made it to the other guy's zone: decision on assassination.

I was feeling pretty bad about my skill as a Warmachine player after this game. I had effectively repeated a lot stupid mistakes that I've made before in games and sworn that I would never commit again. But, I learned a few things... A lot of people swear by tournaments as the way to learn quickly by getting to play lots of unforgiving games. I can see that, but I'm feeling strongly at this point about sticking to lower point-level games with more time on the clock for turns. Also, I am realistic about the fact that Hordes and Warmachine rely heavily on knowledge of every faction's models to be successful. Like any game, the people who spend a lot of time learning and memorizing this information have a huge advantage. I love the universe of the Iron Kingdoms, but I still feel like my hobby time as a casual player is better spent on enjoying reading fiction than memorizing stats and abilities for hundreds of models. That said, I could certainly benefit from memorizing the symbols for abilities and having a more confident understanding of what each one signifies. While watching football this afternoon, I realized that, even in the case of pro athletes, mistakes are made, things don't go according to plan, and some bad hands are dealt. Just because teams go 0-5 doesn't mean that they quit a quarter of the way through the season. I have made some hefty time, effort, and money investments in this game, and I enjoy every aspect of the hobby, especially the well-designed rules of the tabletop game. I plan on playing and painting as much as I can leading up to TempleCon 2011, which I will treat as my first ultimate learning experience of all night dice-rolling and battling.

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Warmachine Vs. Hordes Battle Report - September 22

Last night at Showcase Comics in Bryn Mawr, Feora Prime led the Protectorate in a 35 pt battle against the Druid heathens of Circle Oroboros.
My opponent moved his Tharn Ravagers into a forest, shielding them from view of my Vanquishers. He took cover in some ruins which caused problems for me throughout the game.
I tried to position myself to blast him with the flame belchers, but before I knew it his warlock, Krueger the Stormwrath, had moved in to the ruins and declared his feat, which placed 3 destructive electrical AOE's in his control area. 6 of my Flameguard were decimated and my Reclaimer promptly collected their souls. Feora was blasted twice by 2 AOE's. The Gnarlhorn Satyr charged my Vanquisher and slammed him, crushing my Vassal to death.
My 1 armed Vanquisher tied up a Warp Wolf in melee combat. The remainder of the Flameguard battled with the Tharn Ravagers and set them on fire. My only hope for victory was a desperate assassination attempt with pinpoint accuracy.  Feora got into position and blasted Krueger with her dual Flamethrowers. Sadly, with her low RAT (ranged attack stat) and bad rolls, the attacks missed.
On the next turn, Krueger blasted her with Chain Lightning, and an Argus (read: two-headed demon dog) tore her to shreds. Not a hero's death by any stretch...
Though my terrible strategery and pathetic dice-rolling once again brought shame to the Protectorate, it was a great time as always and got to play with some newly-built, newly-painted models. The unstoppable force of the Showcase crew is on a deadly collision course with the immovable object of TempleCon 2011!

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