Untitled Goose Game

While this blog focuses on miniature and role playing games, I do enjoy video games and occasionally like to post about them. Recently I've been playing one that I just have to write about.

It's literally titled Untitled Goose Game.

It's a very simple game, but it is an absolute blast to play. You are a mischievous goose running amok in an otherwise quiet village. You have various tasks to perform, but you need to figure out how to complete them when opposed by irate residents. It's a masterpiece of a puzzle game.

UGG is available on the major consoles as well as for the computer (I played on the Nintendo Switch). Highly recommended!

A Little Animal Crossing Comedy

My wife and I have been playing the new Animal Crossing video game lately.

We had a little comedy moment recently.

I was playing and wanted to pick something up. I asked my wife "how do I do this?"

She replies "Y"

I respond "Because I want to move it"

"No. The Y button."

"Oh . . ."

Shades of Abbot and Costello.

So tonight my wife asked me how to do something. I said "Y."

She begins to explain why she wanted to do it. I started laughing. She looked at my funny until I elaborated "the Y button."

We did it again.

A New Vegas Distraction

I had a few free hours this morning so I planned to get some miniatures-related stuff done. I wasn't feeling a game so I thought about doing a little painting.

However, as I sat down for a little breakfast, Onyx our video-addicted cat started scratching at the TV. That's his way of telling me he wanted it on. All right, maybe a little of my current gaming craze - Fallout: New Vegas (yes, I know it is a bit old).

As I was playing, one of my other cats jumped in my lap, curled up, and went to sleep. OK, I wasn't going anywhere soon. I just kept playing. Two hours later I finally got free, and am jotting this down before I begin my errands for the day.

Of course, I need to keep the TV on for Onyx. Right now I have it tuned to Fallout Radio on YouTube.

Click HERE to listen

If you like 40s-50s music, give it a listen.

Game Du Jour

I haven't been doing much with board games lately because I have been distracted by this

I've been playing Cat Quest on my PlayStation 4. The developers describe it as a mix of "Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and Skyrim" but with cats. It's a bit silly (especially with all the a-meow-zing cat puns) but provides an excellent, light RPG experience with an old school feel. It is SO nice not having to manage inventory!

I completed the main quest yesterday and am trying to finish off the remaining dungeons. Perhaps that means I'll be getting back into board gaming. Or maybe I'll start back up at level 1!

Another Distraction

I am definitely in a wargaming lull and instead find myself distracted by LARPing and video games. Well, a new distraction has arrived:

My wife has been wanting a Playstation 4 so I got one for he birthday, along with Fallout 4. So now I am wandering the wastelands of the Commonwealth.

Thanksgiving Update

It's Thanksgiving in the US and I am off work for the extended weekend. I'm thinking of getting out some miniatures and doing some gaming. However, the dark side is calling me. OK, maybe not as dark as WoW. I have been doing a lot of video gaming, however. My latest addiction is:

 I'm not sure what started it but I got on a post-apocalyptic kick so I pulled out Fallout: New Vegas. I had started it a while back but let it lapse. I'm now back in and making progress.

One flaw with Fallout is that my wife and I cannot play together. So I have been thinking of making a post-apocalyptic themed miniature/board game. Characters represent Vault Dwellers who have been tasked to venture into the Wasteland in search of precious commodities to help the Vault survive. Although I plan to make the setting a bit generic, it will be inspired by my home state of Florida, featuring locations such as the National Space Center and the Magic Land theme park. I'm still sketching out details.

Anyway, I wish all a wonderful day, whether you're stuffing turkey in your mouth in the US or it's just a regular day in your neck of the world.

Fallout Boy wishes you a wonderful day

I Save the World, Again

Around Christmas, I mentioned that I was starting a new campaign of Dragon Age: Origins.

Yesterday I confronted the archdemon

who was leading a darkspawn invasion of Ferelden. Its army was sacking the capital of Denerim. My party rushed to the top of Fort Drakon, where the archdemon was perched. We attacked and brutal battle ensued. The fight was not going well, but then I noticed a ballista on the battlements. I swung it around and loosed bolts upon the dragon until it lay dead.

In the end, I saved Ferelden, and got the girl.

Ah, Leliana

I then started my next video game challenge:

On Holiday!

I am off work all next week and I'm not going anywhere so I'll have more time to post. However, I'm not sure if I'll get in much mini gaming. You see, I've developed a tradition of playing a video game hard core during my holiday down time. Over the past few Christmases, I restored the Twilight Princess to her realm, helped stave off the Oblivion Crisis, defeated Alduin the World_Eater, and brought down the Enclave (i.e. I completed Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Fallout 3). So what's in store for this year?

Yeah, it's an old game, but it's one I never finished. There's been a lot of buzz lately about the Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest game in the series. I kept saying to myself that I should complete the first game (which I started in 2011) so I decided to make it my holiday game of 2014.

I do plan to make regular posts. I have a year-end review in the works (it's pretty wordy so it will end up 2 parts) and my predictions for 2015. In addition, I am starting a new series of posts called RETROSPECTIVE.

Elder Scrolls

In my last post, way back on May 21, I mentioned a number of distractions that have kept me from miniature gaming. One of those was Elder Scrolls Online, which I recently purchased. Let me show you what I've been doing in the game. Sorry for the quality; the screen shots were taken at night.
EDIT - I just added new photos of the characters, taken in daylight (albeit late afternoon).

First, I created a character based on myself, although he is much beefier than I am. His name is Rufus (which is my game name in Dagorhir).

Rufus of Dragon Coast

 I got Rufus up to about level 7 before I made a change.

I convinced my wife to play with me, but I wanted to save Rufus as a solo character. Therefore I decided to make a new character. On a whim, I made an Argonian (lizardman). In all the times I played Oblivion or Skyrim, I never played an Argonian so it was a bit of a change.

 I think Slishnek is now level 5.

Slishnek created a bit of a dilemma. Elder Scrolls Online has 3 factions. Rufus and Slishnek both belong to the Ebonheart Pact, which means that both characters are getting the same quests. I decided that I would prefer to experience the quests fresh when I played with my wife, so I shelved Rufus. But who would I use for soloing?

I decided to make a character for the Daggerfall Covenant, which consists of the orcs, Redguards, and Bretons. Redguards are renowned swordsmen, so I decided to create a Redguard character. Redguards are also darker skinned so my new character looks much different than Rufus or me. However, he still has reddish hair and blue eyes.

Rahino

 I also got sucked into another distraction. My wife follows Wil Wheaton on Facebook and learned that he has a new show on the Sy Fy channel. We tuned in and caught the end of an episode of Heroes of Cosplay.

We are officially hooked. My brother downloaded the first season for us (just 6 episodes) and we watched it over a few nights. We have since seen the first two episodes of season 2. The craftsmanship of the costumes they make is absolutely amazing!

DIstractions

My hiatus has been over for more than a week but I am just getting around to posting. My paper minis are ready for battle in medieval Francesia, but I have not yet got them onto the battlefield. You see, I've had some distractions that have been keeping me away from gaming (at least board/mini gaming). I thought I'd just mention them.

• Dagorhir - I have mentioned before (and mentioned that I mentioned) that I participate in a live-action role-playing game called Dagorhir. Recently, a couple friends and I decided to form our own order of chivalry, so I have been busy jotting down notes and making plans for it. I'll post more details as we progress.
• Video Games Live - Normally, Saturday night is game night, but last Saturday my wife and I went to a concert instead. It was called Video Games Live and it featured some of the best video game music, performed by a live orchestra (with game clips shown on screen). My favorite was the opening theme to Skyrim.
• Elder Scrolls Online - Speaking of Skyrim, I previously predicted that the new game in the Elder Scrolls series, Elders Scrolls Online, would likely tear me away from board/mini gaming. April was just too busy for me to try it out, but I finally downloaded it today. I haven't gotten very far in the game (the controls are a bit different than most MMOs so I am having a little difficulty adjusting). Nevertheless, it seems much more story-based than World of Warcraft, which is a good thing. Generally, new characters in WoW start by speaking to a quest-giver, who tells them to go slay a bunch of creatures wandering aimlessly in a field. In ESO, your new character is chosen by a Prophet to help save the world from the plots of a demonic lord. You then have to escape from a prison. It's a much more interesting start. I'm looking forward to more.

I hope to play a miniatures battle over the holiday weekend, but ESO might continue to be a distraction.

Table Top Day Report

Yesterday was International Table Top Day.

Last year I was a heretic, but this year I planned to do it right. The plan was to invite my brother over for dinner and a game of Ticket to Ride. Time permitting, I thought about pulling out Settlers of Catan as well.

Dinner was great. I made a shepherd's pie, which was a big hit. I also made some fried pickles (I think I ate about a million of them).

The game, however, did not go exactly as planned. My wife ended up inviting her father and his cousin in addition to my brother. Now we had 6 people, too many for Ticket to Ride. Thinking quickly, we pulled out Castle Panic.Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures, but suffice it to say that we won. My brother was master slayer by a wide margin. The other players were ready to throw me out of the castle. In one turn while drawing new monsters, I drew the token "Draw 3 more monsters." One of the 3 that I drew was the Goblin King, which draws an additional 4 monsters. All told, I drew 8 monsters that turn!

Anyway, after our victory things went awry. Somehow, the conversation turned to music and before I knew it (I was putting away the game), somebody had started up this game:

A video game? On Table Top Day? The horror!
Well, I'll try to do better next year.

The Weekend's Gaming

No miniature battle reports today.

My weekend gaming has concentrated on video games. On Friday, I took on this fellow:

Alduin the World Eater

And now he is no more. Yep, I beat the main quest in Skyrim. Now I just need to straighten out a minor tussle - a civil war in Skyrim.

We did play a short game of Forbidden Island for Game Night. We had 3 of the treasures in our hands and were close to reclaiming the last one. We also had a helicopter waiting for us at the landing. Then the waves came crashing over the island and we went down into the abyssal depths.

Tonight's Game

Halo Night with Elizabeth