by Salt-Man Z

"Miscellaeous Game Accessory" my butt! It's essentially "Dominion: 5/6-player expansion" if you own one base game, and "Dominion: 1-4 player expansion" if all you own are expansion(s)—which, yes, would have been ridiculous before, but is now clearly a viable option.

by Salt-Man Z

I kinda like the Dominion one, but I wouldn't want to buy it with 2 expansions still to come out. Doesn't look at all customizable, either.

If they do another one after Dark Ages and Guilds are released, I might have to consider it.

by Salt-Man Z

Rome (from Leaders) is the same way. Just don't look at the backs as you shuffle and deal.

Finished with The Citadel of the Autarch, by Gene Wolfe http://t.co/DLpM4Ra6

Tor Books (2001), Edition: First Edition, Mass Market Paperback, 512 pages

Ace (2009), Edition: Reprint, Mass Market Paperback, 576 pages

Bantam Press (2012), Hardcover, 720 pages

@mightymightytas: Have you found the "Never open this EVER" envelope? :D

@mightymightytas: So, Risk Legacy is pretty awesome?

Just got a call from Germany. (?) I didn't answer, and they didn't leave a message.

87% done with Midnight Tides, by Steven Erikson http://t.co/c6BLvN4U

@FourBrosStudio: Sounds a little like the popular game "Alchemy"? Regardless, it sounds awesome. Can't wait! #Taptitude #Craftitude

by Salt-Man Z

Why throw the insert away? You can bag everything and still stash 'em in the slots easily enough.

I’m not overly familiar with Magic: The Gathering. I know that it’s a fantasy card game in which players battle each other using custom-constructed decks. And it was a big deal back in high school. It originated the term to “tap”, or rotate, a card in play. And it was a huge influence on one of my favorite card games. That’s the extent of my knowledge.

I am, however, very much familiar with Matthew Stover. He happens to be one of my all-time favorite authors, and is the sole reason I picked up Test of Metal.

Now, tie-in fiction is a tricky animal: most of it just isn’t that good. I read a lot of Star Wars novels, but I enjoy them because they’re Star Wars, not because they’re necessarily well-written—and if I’m being honest, most of them really aren’t. So I read tie-in fiction primarily because I’m a fan of the larger shared universe it’s set in. But what about when I’m not? Can a favorite author make me care about a franchise I know nothing about?

Well, yes. And no.

From the (minimal) research I did after reading this book, I know that Test of Metal follows up directly on events in Agents of Artifice by Ari Marmell, another book in the Planeswalkers subseries. At the end of that book, the planeswalker (basically a type of wizard who can hop between different dimensions) Jace Beleren killed fellow planeswalker Tezzeret, ostensibly the “bad guy” of that novel. In Test of Metal, Tezzeret is not only resurrected, but is made the main viewpoint character. This is his story.

We start in media res with Tezzeret on an island made entirely of the magical metal, etherium. He is soon confronted by the powerful dragon Nicol Bolas, who, as it turns out, was responsible for recreating Tezzeret and sending him on a quest, of which this metal island is the end. Bolas then proceeds to trawl Tezzeret’s memories; subsequent chapters are the result of this mind-link, where the bulk of the novel’s story plays out in flashback, with Tezzeret as narrator.

Stover has loved playing with viewpoint and linearity in his Acts of Caine novels, and Test of Metal is no different. In addition to most of the chapters being flashbacks and narrated in the first-person by Tezzeret, we get additional first-person perspectives (one chapter each) from the other featured planeswalkers, Jace Beleren and Baltrice. And interspersed between those are the “present” goings-on at the metal island, related in standard third-person, from the POVs of both Tezzeret and Bolas. Alternating between the third- and first-persons is something Stover does extremely well, and its use suits the story perfectly. What I enjoyed perhaps the most, though, was how the book effectively begins at the end of the story. In fact, before I read the final chapter, I flipped back and reread the first chapter and had a couple of those great “Aha!” moments where the puzzle pieces start fitting together. But beyond just the structure of the novel, the story itself makes use of a limited amount of time travel in the form of a type of magic called “clockworking”; there’s a very nonlinear feel to entire book that’s simultaneously refreshing and bewildering, but Stover’s successful in keeping it all tightly under control.

If I had a main complaint, it would be that the story mostly boils down to a fairly-straightforward MacGuffin quest with powerful wizards throwing a bunch of magic at each other. And some of the dialogue is laughably juvenile—though as it more often that not also made me laugh in the good sense, I can overlook any quibbles there. In the end, it’s Stover’s handling of Tezzeret’s character and the internal journey he undertakes that elevate the book above the level of “mere” tie-in fiction. We get a bit of Tezzeret’s backstory, we come to understand his motivations, and watch as he undergoes both physical and internal transformations. He’s a fascinating character: highly intelligent, but not physically or magically overpowering, so he has to rely on his wits to get by. Plus, he’s also a bit of a smartass. Very much in Stover’s wheelhouse.

In fact, I enjoyed reading about Tezzeret so much that I really want to pick up Agents of Artifice just to get the first half (as it were) of the story. But I don’t think I really care enough about the Magic universe to bother doing so. Rather, I think I’ll just savor Stover’s contribution to it.

It’s not great literature, but it’s still better than most tie-in genre fiction deserves to be. It makes you use your brain. And it’s got all the classic Stover touches (warning: violence and strong language), plus plenty of twists and turns and double-, triple-, and quadruple-crosses. It’s great fun, and I’d recommend it to any fan of fantasy. [3.5 out of 5 stars]

by Salt-Man Z

sedona14 wrote:

Are Priests of Ra and Ra the same game?

Same general game, mechanics-wise, but the tiles and the ways in which they're scored are completely different.

Bantam Books (1976), Edition: First, Paperback

Bantam Books (1975), Edition: Reprint Edition, Mass Market Paperback, 215 pages

Bantam Books (1975), Mass Market Paperback, 879 pages

@FourBrosStudio: I wonder, what's the max score in Fish Feeder w/out touching the screen? I'm just breaking 50K on avg now. #Taptitude

by Salt-Man Z

Congrats on delurking, Mitch, and kudos for your generous offer. I'm another late-to-the-party 7W fan. Count me in!

by Salt-Man Z

I hadn't even heard of the game when a friend gave it to me for Christmas a couple years ago. It took me only two reads of the rulebook (one, really, but I reread to make sure) to get a complete understanding of the rules and mechanics. But I didn't "get" the game until my wife and I gave it our first play. It was a total n00b game that went overlong and saw us both playing horribly inefficiently, but we both saw the promise, and were fans from that moment forward. Though my wife's enthusiasm has cooled considerably after so many expansions, it remains one of my favorites.

RT @alyankovic: Christina Hendricks is Ginger. @ZooeyDeschanel is Mary Ann. #CastingTheGilligansIslandMovie

@jdiddyesquire @IcebergInkScott @nethspace @adribbleofink: Wow. Little-to-no-interest on my part has now become a firm "no interest".

Forge Books (2008), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 352 pages

Tor Books (2000), Edition: 1st, Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages

Finished with Test of Metal, by Matthew Stover http://t.co/bNISIJyw

@FourBrosStudio: The Lucky Charm upgrade in Heads Up is just a joke, right?

@FourBrosStudio @saltmanz: I can indeed confirm: when you clear the last space in Mine Flagger using the Pro Tap, the game will not end.

@FourBrosStudio @saltmanz: Yeah, I think it's the Pro Tap; I saved a single space 'til the end to dig normally, and it ended fine.

@FourBrosStudio @saltmanz: I used the Pro Tap exclusively; I wonder if that has something to do with it?

@FourBrosStudio: Um, how does a game of Mine Flagger end? I marked all 60 mines and cleared every other space but the clock's still running?

by Salt-Man Z

Last I knew, they didn't have it in yet; next I hear about it, it's sold out? Bah.

by Salt-Man Z

Heck, with two sets of the base game (and differently-colored wooden bits) you can play the Mayfair 2nd edition 8-player "peanut" map.

On page 169 of 352 of Test of Metal, by Matthew Stover http://t.co/m6l4NOZg

Ace (2012), Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

by Salt-Man Z

wmshub wrote:

You need pieces in 6 different colors, so it would be better to have the official expansion. Also the number discs are different in the 5 or 6 player game. But if you are willing to paint two sets of pieces and make your own number discs and find out the tile list for the larger island and the card distribution for more people...oh, probably best to just return one and get the expansion.

Good grief, it's not that hard:

Add 2 of each resource hex and 1 desert
Add 1 of each number disc
Add 1 sheep harbor and 1 3:1 harbor

For the resource cards, add 5 of each resource
For the dev cards, add 6 soldiers and 1 of each other non-VP card

There.

On page 88 of 352 of Test of Metal, by Matthew Stover http://t.co/bD1eyPqJ

DAW Hardcover (2012), Hardcover, 288 pages

Date: March 25, 2012 12:50

On page 50 of 352 of Test of Metal, by Matthew Stover http://t.co/v35r0nuV

White Wolf Publishing (1997), Paperback, 418 pages

Galaxy Press (CA) (2004), Paperback, 500 pages

by Salt-Man Z

I can't recommend Innovation either, though I see why other people enjoy it; for me, there's just way too much stuff you have to account for, and the expansion just exacerbates that problem.

However, I just played Glory to Rome for the first time this weekend—the Cambridge version, two-player—and I absolutely loved it.

Finished with The Sword of the Lictor, by Gene Wolfe http://t.co/gIAVPqlt

Played GLORY TO ROME with @ravsitar last night, and was thoroughly impressed. Can't wait to play again!

RT @darth_awesome: The best Nativity scene I have ever seen: http://t.co/DnQUC2c5

Yesterday Alex told us how he learned about "Luther King George" in school.

by Salt-Man Z

hadsil wrote:

I used to just shuffle all the blue cards together and pick 10, but I found it meant a lot of cards don't get used at all

This is why I don't shuffle used randomizers back into the randomizer deck until we've gone through all the cards.

50% done with The Sword of the Lictor, by Gene Wolfe http://t.co/oHyVkFi6

Subterranean Press (2007), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 100 pages

Finished with The Tomb (Adversary Cycle, #2), by F. Paul Wilson http://t.co/rnybJYGt

Berkley (1996), Paperback, 226 pages

Berkley (1997), Paperback, 10 pages

Berkley (1995), Paperback, 232 pages

Berkley (1996), Edition: Boulevard Edition, September 1996, Paperback, 1 pages

Berkley (1997), Paperback, 240 pages

Berkley (1997), Paperback, 240 pages

Berkley (1998), Paperback, 224 pages

by Salt-Man Z

I had been considering sleeving Dominion some time in the future (when I absolutely had to.)

Then we played through a copy of Mystery Rummy so much that it became necessary to sleeve the cards just to play, because the game is out of print. The sleeves (Mayday premiums) are so obnoxious, I've since changed my mind; I have no plans to sleeve any other game, ever, and the Base Cards expansion announcement makes me feel better about that decision.

...that hang suspended in the air before collapsing inward, Kaylee stares at the screen with eyes wide and whispers, "It's so beautiful!"

Every time I beat "The Imprisoned" monster in Zelda: Skyward Sword, when he explodes into a million glittering shards...

by Salt-Man Z

apotheos wrote:

iNano78 wrote:

We all seem to be saying the same thing: The default strategy ("Big Money") is beaten by any "good" strategy.

Has anyone really demonstrated this? I've only ever heard it anecdotally, and as I only get to play with regular, non competitive players, I'll never have a chance to explore this myself.

I've played the Big Money strategy twice myself as was quite surprised at the speed of game end and the point spread.

It just sounds like a "good" strategy is being defined as "one that beats Big Money."

by Salt-Man Z

It's criminal that there's not one named reiner yet (or, in a pinch, knizia.)

And what about some love for the dude whose best game held the #1 spot for so long? How about seyfarth? (Or maybe sanjuan?)

And I totally want a server named dxv.

LucasBooks (2012), Hardcover, 256 pages

RT @RobbieMcDunc: Voyager traditional boys steak dinner... A farewell to Neelix who's moving back to NYC! We'll miss him!!! @StarTrek ht ...

Date: January 18, 2012 23:03

by Salt-Man Z

The first time we played, we ran out the 10s in a 3-player game (partially thanks to my wife nuking everything.) I don't think we've made it to that Age since.

by Salt-Man Z

I was not a TtR fan until I played Nordic.

On page 223 of 434 of The Tomb (Adversary Cycle, #2), by F. Paul Wilson http://t.co/wetFQ26B

by Salt-Man Z

I'm going to guess that India doesn't come with 9 extra trains of the "non-standard" colors (white and purple)? Those who own both Nordic and Marklin will be fine, though.

On page 521 of 960 of Midnight Tides, by Steven Erikson http://t.co/4a5X94a4

Night Shade Books (2012), Edition: First Edition, Paperback, 376 pages

by Salt-Man Z

Related Item: Catan Dice Game

Downloadable here: SMZ Catan Dice

#TodayILearned: Daunte Culpepper has more Lambeau Field wins than Aaron Rodgers. Hunh.

by Salt-Man Z

On page 87 of 257 of The Sword of the Lictor, by Gene Wolfe http://t.co/ZIOFV9xf

Walden Pond Press (2011), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 320 pages

On page 82 of 434 of The Tomb (Adversary Cycle, #2), by F. Paul Wilson http://t.co/5M2DYl3p

Tor Fantasy (2010), Edition: First Edition, Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Shortest. Workday. Ever.

Putnam Adult (1997), Hardcover, 127 pages

RT @emmrowland: RT @wstonesoxfordst: I saw the apostrophe on my way to work this morning. It's not looking too well. http://t.co/zVLKpTsy

@FourBrosStudio Something screwy with Video Poker? I got a straight and a 3 of a kind, and each time the app immediately crashed. #Taptitude

@FourBrosStudio: You wiped the Throwing Star stars/stats! (Except for Targets Hit, oddly.)

by Salt-Man Z

[unnecessary comment removed]

Welcome to the first annual Salty Awards! I liked how last year’s “Best of 2010″ post turned out, so that’ll pretty much be the template for these awards. The main difference being, I’ve got a shiny new trophy now! Like last year’s Best Ofs, this is stuff that wasn’t necessarily published in 2011, just what I read the past year. And first reads only; re-reads don’t count. (Here’s a link to my 2011 reading list for reference.)

Statistics

First off, let’s start with some numbers, because who doesn’t love numbers?

Total books read: 51
Re-reads: 7
Non-series reads: 14
Nonfiction reads: 1
Novels by female authors: 3
Short story collections: 9
Reads that were also acquired in 2011: 21
Borrowed (unowned): 10

Interesting stuff, maybe, but not the real reason you’re here. Without further ado:

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Best Short Story Collection 2011:

Runners-up:

5. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
In the first half of 2010, I tore through the entirety of Jim Butcher’s fantastic Dresden Files series. I had to wait until fall of 2011 for the next installment, and decided to check out this short story collection (that I had skipped out on previously) in the meantime, particularly since it contained a story that took place between the previous book and the upcoming one. I’m glad I did, because Dresden shines in the short story format, and it was fun to read about the “side jobs” that take place before and between the books of the series. “The Warrior” might be my favorite Dresden story of all time.

4. Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds
The Revelation Space universe is an amazing place, and a large part of what gives it its charm is the sense of history with which Reynolds has imbued his books. This collection is a bit of an eye-opener in when you get to see just what the scope of his created fictional history is. Copious references to characters and events from his series make these stories mesh perfectly with those books, and perhaps the most impressive part is that main of them were written before the books. Beyond that, though, this is still a solid collection of awesome sci-fi stories.

2. (tie) Storeys from the Old Hotel and Strange Travelers by Gene Wolfe
I chickened out and put both these books in a tie for second place. You know I love me some Gene Wolfe, and ranking two superb collections by a favorite author is always hard, but beyond that, each collection showcases a different form: Travelers features a number of Wolfe’s longer-form stories, 15 in all, while Storeys tackles the shorter form, with over 30 inclusions. They’re two totally different animals, but at the same time, they’re both totally Gene Wolfe. It’s like picking your favorite child (and sure, you might actually have one, but you’ll never tell!)

And the best short story collection I read in 2011 is…

1. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
I adore Gene Wolfe (see above) and one of his largest influences is the Argentinian author Borges. Allusions to Borges’ work abound in Wolfe’s, and I had recently read The Shadow of the Wind which had its own share of Borgesian elements, so I knew I had to eventually get around to reading the original. Holy wow. It’s easy to see the parallels between Wolfe and Borges; Borges is what you might get if you took Wolfe and removed all the sci-fi and fantastical elements, stripped it down to the raw, crystallized ideas. And concentrated it. Mind-blowing stuff, is what it is. “The Garden of Forking Paths” is one of my favorite stories ever.

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Best Comic Book 2011:

This might be a one-off category for this year, but I read a fair number of comic book collections, mostly thanks to Half Price Books. There were three worth singling out, and they are…

Runners-up:

3. Last Stand of the Wreckers by Nick Roche & James Roberts
This series had been hyped beyond all belief by the Transformers fanbase, so I was excited to finally lay my hands on a cheap copy of the trade paperback. It did not disappoint. This is the kind of book that shows just how great this franchise can be when put in the hands of people who really care about and understand it. It takes place in IDW’s current series continuity, but besides a couple of scenes, it’s entirely self-contained, and it draws heavily on obscure characters from all throughout franchise history, meaning you don’t have to be familiar with them to enjoy this book. If you’re a hardcore fan, or just interested in seeing how good TF storytelling can get, you need to pick up this book. Besides the original 5-issue series, the trade paperback also collects a related prose story by Roberts titled “Bullets” that’s just icing on the cake.

2. Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher & Ardian Syaf
In the introduction to the graphic novel edition, Butcher explains that when writing the Dresden Files novels, he always pictured them in his mind as comic books. Which goes a long way toward explaining why this 4-issue original prequel series feels just like reading one of the novels. It’s pure unadulterated Dresden goodness, with all the trademark wit, magic, and monsters you’ve come to expect. And Ardian Syaf’s artwork is perfect: comic booky without being overly cartoony, and his characters—especially Harry Dresden himself—are spot-on.

And the best comic book I read in 2011 is…

1. Echo by Terry Moore
I have Tor.com and Stephen Aryan to thank for this one. After his write-up of this series, I just had to check it out, and was able to find 4 of the 6 available collections for cheap on eBay. Later I sold them and sprung for the Complete Edition containing all 30 issues, and let me tell you that is a beast of a book. And it’s amazing. Moore’s black-and-white artwork is gorgeous, his characters—their personalities and expressions and interactions—all fully realized, and he still manages to throw a bunch of slam-bang action into the mix. Almost impossible to put down.

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Best Novel 2011:

Man oh man oh man this was tough; I read a lot of really good books this past year. (Titles link to my reviews.)

Runners-up:

5. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
This was the big one, the final volume in the 10-book Malazan Book of the Fallen, perhaps the most ambitious fantasy series ever attempted, and the series responsible for my participation in various book cataloging sites and online forums, and thus also for my reading habits for the past half-decade. In those 5 years I’d read all of the previous books, re-read most of them, and discussed them all ad nauseum, and this capped it all off. It was exhilarating and bittersweet at the same time, bringing the decalogy full circle and tying (most) things up eventfully, emotionally, and thematically. It wasn’t perfect, but then, that’s fitting, too.

4. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
This was on my “I really need to read books by this guy” list, and I finally picked it up over Christmas of 2009. I haven’t read any Heinlein—outside the fairly crappy The Cat Who Walks Through Walls but people compare this book to Heinlein’s work a lot. It reminded me a lot of Card’s Ender’s Game, but mostly in a “sci-fi you’d recommend to a friend whose never read sci-fi before” way. The first-person narrative is fabulous, hilarious, and moving, and the action is gritty and frantic and very very real. All around, a very enjoyable, very human book.

3. Peace by Gene Wolfe
Yes, I love Gene Wolfe. Shut up. It feels weird to write a book review that basically goes, “I don’t understand this book, but I love it.” So it is with this one. A book of Midwestern memoirs doesn’t seem like it would be my thing, but Wolfe’s writing is so gorgeous, so eminently readable, but also quite haunting; and the sinister undercurrents that never quite reveal their true nature (at least on a first read) make this an absolutely fascinating book.

2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Scott recommended this one to me as his favorite book, and I trust his judgement, and hey, I found it for $2, too. It’s worth the cover price, though; this is one lush and luscious novel full of romance and mystery (and a tinge of horror) and absolutely dripping with atmosphere. It’s a book for book lovers, and for lovers of fine storytelling in general.

And the best novel I read in 2011 is…

1. Embassytown by China Miéville
Like Scalzi, I had never read any of Miéville’s work before, but that changed when I won a review copy of his upcoming Embassytown. Talk about being blown away; this book was amazing. All of my favorite sci-fi elements were present: well-developed, alien aliens, cultural clashes, intrigue, mystery, unconventional narrative structure, jaw-dropping revelations, and plenty of Big Ideas and musings on the nature of language and thought. I read a lot of reviews that basically gave it a thumbs-down, and I it’s like I can’t even decipher the words being written; it makes no sense at all to me. This was easily the best book of 2011, and one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure of reading, period.

Honorable mentions: Dissolution by C. J. Sansom, The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall, The Breach by Patrick Lee, Reamde by Neal Stephenson

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