Level Up! Blogfest: Citadels

I am a gamer in every sense of the word--I love everything from Zelda, Mass Effect, League of Legends and Mario Kart, to Dutch Blitz and Poker, to Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan, to Mafia and Dictionary, to Kick the Can and Capture the Flag. So you can understand how hard it was to pick only one game for this blogfest!

Since I talk about video games a lot, I decided to go with a "real" game (as my non-video gamer friends like to call them). But have no fear, this game is plenty geeky and plenty awesome.

Citadels is a card game, which I love because it doesn't take long to set up (and it's not expensive). You can also play with 2-8 players, and I find games are so hard to find that are for more than 4, so this is even more of a bonus.

The goal of the game is to build 8 district cards and make a citadel. The district cards cost gold to build, and at the end of the game are worth that amount of gold in points. Bonus points are given to those who have built the maximum 8 districts, the one who built 8 first, and to those who have a district of each possible colour.

The fun of the game is the characters. There are eight character cards that you shuffle, and every person selects one at the beginning of each round. Every character has different abilities--for example, the assassin can kill another player, the thief can steal from another player, the magician can take new cards or switch cards with someone, the king gets to go first the next round and gets bonus gold if he has a yellow district, etc.

Oh, the things you can do to make each other mad in this game. There's nothing like waiting until your neighbor has stockpiles of gold and then stealing it all from him as the thief. Of course, you have to guess his character correctly in order to do so.

I find Citadels requires the perfect amount of strategy and wiliness, as all games should. You have to think about what characters other people are going to choose, and be careful about who you choose in case they mean you harm, which they probably do. So much fun.

Thanks to all who have joined in the blogfest, and to Jamie for co-hosting this shindig with me! I'm excited to visit everyone and read about all your favourite games. Play on!

Announcing the Level Up! Blogfest!

Save the date, folks! Jamie from Mithril Wisdom, a totally awesome fellow geek, and I have put our heads together and are hosting our first blogfest on Wednesday, February 20. Woohoo! And since we love fun and games, and we know you do too, that's what it's all about.

Share your favourite game with us! It can be a video game, a board game, a party game, a card game, a childhood playground game--you name it. Let us know how it works and why you love it. I still can't even decide which category of game I want to pick, because there are so many good games to choose from under each. Video games are obviously close to my heart (I can't wait to hear about your favourites), but I often post about them, so maybe I will share a board game favourite this time.

Sign up on the list below if you want to join in on the fun! Feel free to spread the news and use the amazing blog button above that Jamie whipped up. It's gonna be legendary.

Cheers Cavanaugh Blogfest

Today is the first day of the Cheers Cavanaugh blogfest, hosted by Mark Koopman, Morgan Shamy, Stephen Tremp and David Powers King. The point of the fest is for us bloggers to raise our glasses to our ninja friend Alex, who is a nexus in the blogging community. He was one of the first to follow and comment on my blog, and continues to be the first to comment on my posts. Thank you, Alex, for finding the time to comment and for caring about so many people.

I'm combining the answers to the questions in the following piece of flash fiction:

Cosbolt pilot Alex J. Cavanaugh looked at the doctor, his brown eyes filled with concern.

"So? What's the verdict, doc?"

Doctor Phil sighed. "I'm sorry, Cavanaugh, I can't clear you to go back into space. The IWSG radiation you were exposed to from flying near that supernova could have... unexpected... effects. I want you on Earth so I can keep a close eye on you."

Cavanaugh's expression just then reminded the doc of Nathan Fillion as Mal in Firefly, when he realized the Browncoats had lost the war. Doctor Phil felt a spark of pity for the man.

"But what am I supposed to do now?" Cavanaugh asked. "All I ever knew was flying."

"I don't know... take up a hobby. Write. Pick up the guitar. Fall in love and get married. Take your pick."

It was a year later that Alex realized, ironically, he had followed the doctor's advice to the letter. So far, the radiation hadn't had any effects on him that he could tell, unless it was the cause of his new-found ability to read and type at ninja-like speeds and take in the information of hundreds of blogs almost as soon as he clicked their links. 

Life on Earth, he discovered, was good.

And a special thank you to Mrs. Cavanaugh for allowing us to spend time with the ninja captain. I assume you rock as much as your husband does!

Cheers, Cavanaugh :)

Oh, How I Miss You blogfest

Today's the Oh, How I Miss You blogfest hosted by Andrew Leon, Matthew Rush, and Alex J. Cavanaugh where we post about the bloggers we really miss and the bloggers we would really miss if they disappeared!

Blogger I miss

Jeremy at Geeky Tendencies is a fellow geeky blogger I miss. I made a lot of friends and found many great blogs when I started blogging, but none were quite as geeky as mine. Then I found Jeremy's blog, and it was a fantastic place of geekiness! Jeremy hasn't been blogging since the summer, though this is understandable since he is dealing with a lot of things including chemotherapy. Miss you, Jeremy!

Bloggers I would miss if they quit

It was hard to pick just three, because I would miss quite a few of you, including some gems I've only just begun to follow.

I have to mention the ninja captain Alex J. Cavanaugh as he is such a great blogging buddy. He is almost always the first one to comment on my posts, and almost always says something that makes me grin. I don't know how you keep up with everyone, Alex, but I would miss you if you stopped!

Jamie at Mithril Wisdom writes one of my favourite blogs to stop by. Jamie is a fantastic guy who always responds to comments and visits my blog in return. I am constantly inspired by his insightful posts and passion for geek culture!

Oh, there are so many others I would miss (my list of awesome blogs on the side says it all). But lastly I will give a shout out to Tyrean Martinson for being a sweetie and writing such heartfelt posts and comments.

Who would you miss if they stopped blogging?

Genre Favourites Blogfest

It is Alex J. Cavanaugh's Genre Favourites Blofest today, and I am pleased to join in the fun of listing our favourite genres in movies, music, and books. Thanks for hosting this, Alex! Be sure and visit the link for other participants in the blogfest.

 Favourite movie genre: Science Fiction

I love stories that take place in space, or that take place in our world with sci-fi elements (time travel, anyone?). I was introduced to Star Wars as a little girl and my love of sci-fi has only grown from there. I love the interesting technology and endless opportunities sci-fi offers. Some of my favourite movies are Star Wars, X-Men, Back to the Future, and Serenity. I also am a huge fan of the TV shows Doctor Who, Firefly, Fringe, and Stargate.

Favourite music genre: Progressive Metal

My favourite bands and genres change as I get tired of what I've been listening to, but right now I've been enjoying Progressive Metal. I find it was an acquired taste, as it is very different from other genres. It is not something that you will hear on most radio stations. I have been enjoying Seventh Wonder, Dream Theater, Kamelot, and Symphony X. I also love instrumental music, especially from video games. There are so many awesome soundtracks from video games like Halo, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Zelda, and more.

Favourite book genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy

I love reading about other worlds. For those of us with big imaginations who love to escape into another realm or planet, sci-fi and fantasy is the genre. Some of my favourite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, J.K. Rowling, Sara Creasy, Lloyd Alexander, Orson Scott Card, and Diana Wynne Jones.




  

Guilty pleasure book genre: YA and Middle Grade

Kid books are just so much fun. Even as an adult I still go back and read my favourite children's books, and look for new YA novels to read. Sometimes I get funny looks when I am exploring the kids' section in the library, but I don't care. Kid books rock.

My Childhood Monster

Bristling, brown fur. Sharp claws. A feral snarl. He creeps up on you silently when you're not paying attention, because you are focused on your play. His paws are so quiet on the grass you don't notice until he is upon you. His name is Rover.

"Rover's gonna get you if you go out into the woods alone, Alli," my brother used to say.

I'm not sure if he did this so that I wouldn't get lost by myself, or because he enjoyed the look of wide-eyed fear that crossed my face when he said it. I probably had more nightmares about that wolf than any other scary creature I might have dreamed up! They were those kind where you are safe if you can just get into the house before he catches you, but you can't move faster than someone slogging through chest-deep mud. Don't you just hate those?

This post is part of Christine Rains' blogfest that she is hosting from August 7 to 9 to celebrate the release of her paranormal romance novella, Fearless. Congratulations on the release, Christine! Check out her blog for information on Fearless or go here to read about other bloggers' childhood monsters! What was yours?

First Loves Blogfest

Today is the First Loves Blogfest, hosted by the awesome ninja captain Alex J. Cavanaugh! I am jumping in at the last minute because it looks like a lot of fun. The idea is to post your first love in movies, music, books, and people, so here goes:

Movie -- The original Star Wars trilogy

I am the youngest of four, with two older brothers who influenced me in tomboy-ish activities like climbing trees, playing cops and robbers, fishing, catching frogs, and yes, movies. They loved the Star Wars trilogy and watched it over and over as we were growing up. I watched it because they did, and grew to love it too (in fact, I probably like it more than they do now). Star Wars introduced me to the joys of science fiction movies and led me to seek out science fiction books as well. Interesting fact--I used to be scared of Yoda and ran away whenever his scene in Dagobah came up in Episode V! I'm not sure why he scared me... I guess I just thought the grey-green monster was creepy. Now that scene where he is poking around Luke's stuff and having a tug-of-war with R2-D2 is one of my favourites!

Music -- Coldplay

I have a very wide taste in music. I like soundtracks, instrumental, rock, jazz, oldies, progressive, Christian, alternative, you name it... Pretty much anything but country. However, I often only like one or two songs from one band. Coldplay is one of the first bands that I enjoyed a lot of the songs. Their music is relaxing with catchy melodies.

Book -- Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold!

When I was 11 or 12, my dad brought home some used books from a garage sale by Terry Brooks. He declared that they were wonderful and that I should read them. Attracted by the interesting cover (it was the older cover not shown here with a dog wearing glasses sitting in front of a book, a man holding an amulet and a wizard standing in front of him), I read Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! and loved it. It introduced me to the wonders of humorous fantasy and the genius of Terry Brooks. He writes a brilliant adventure story. (If you're interested in Brooks you can read a previous post about him here.)


Person

I'm not sure if this counts as "love," but in Kindergarten I was best friends with a boy who wrote me a note on my birthday telling me he loved me. My mom thought this was so cute, she posted it on our kitchen wall, and I think it stayed up there for a few years. How embarrassing!