Book Review: ApocalyptiGirl by Andrew MacLean

ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean

Aria is an opera singer and cat owner who has been living on an earth-like planet for many years. She's searching in the ruins of civilization for a special relic of amazing power. If she finds the relic, she can return home. Problem is her main searching tool, a massive walking robot, is on the blink. She has to search on foot. That's why it's taking years. Also, the natives (two different, semi-human species) are restless and hostile. Aria makes the best of the situation, even though it is a very bad situation.

The story is fairly simple, allowing the author to be more lyrical. And lyrical he is. Aria sings many passages from operas. The passages are in other languages but do have footnotes, so a diligent reader could look them up. I didn't. Other parts are more poetic than technical, especially the descriptions of the planet's history and the various events that caused the apocalyptic conditions. The narrative takes a back seat to the artistry which mostly works for this book. The ending is fairly thought-provoking, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Dice Masters: Classic Legion of Doom OP

I went to another Dice Masters tournament at my friendly local gaming store, the Family Game Store. This month featured the Classic Legion of Doom, as in the one from the old Super Friends cartoon. The Legion of Doom was the natural opposite of the Justice League. Lex Luthor was the Legion's head and seemingly every hero at the Justice League had an iconic opposite on the Legion. Batman had Scarecrow (why not Joker?), Wonder Woman had Cheetah, Green Lantern had Sinestro, Aquaman had Black Manta, etc. The tournament was a rainbow draft format using the new World's Finest DC Dicemasters set.

During the drafting, I had a hard time choosing between mostly villains or mostly Batman Family. The other major faction in the set is Team Superman which I did not get much of (those cards kept going around, so it seemed like no one was particularly interested). My final team was mostly villains, with a few Batman allies (Robin, Batgirl, and Catwoman (not a villain on the card I got)) to fill out the roster.

My team

Doomsday was a heavy hitter for fairly cheap (four energy cost) but he required another villain in the field in order to attack or block, making things difficult at certain points. In retrospect, I should have taken the basic action Villainous Pact that lets players pay an energy to make a character die a villain for that turn. Then I could have made a sidekick or one of the Batfolk into villains.

My other quality card was Two-Face, who would do double damage when blocked, but the extra damage went straight to the other player and not to the blocking character. Nobody bothered blocking him. His five cost made him harder to buy so he didn't get his second die out in any of the games I played.

I won my first game fairly quickly with just one Two-Face die coming around several times. My second game I faced a player who had the Superwoman card that costs five energy but can be purchased for only three energy if all are bolt energy. Her card also has a global ability that lets a player spend one energy of any type to turn all other energy to bolts. So my opponent bought his two Superwoman dice on his first two turns and then proceeded to pound on me. He had a lot of luck rolling her highest level and inflicting maximum damage.

In the end, I came in second for the contest, garnering me the participation prize (Black Manta special art card) and the Lex Luthor Legion of Doom card.

Second place winnings

The tournament was not as fun as previous tournaments. We were talking afterward and agreed that several of the cards were far too overpowered with no mitigating counter-cards in the draft. Without seeing an opponent's team beforehand, choosing how to counteract a Superwoman or Two-Face is impossible. I hope the just-releasing Marvel Civil War set is better!

Patapsco Female Institute, Maryland--Part II

Continuing from yesterpost about the history of the Patapsco Female Institute...

We switched roles with the other half of the class and my son tried some hands-on archeology. The archeologists explained that they typically set off squares to dig in and had a coordinate system to show where they found items. He warned the children to be careful stepping over the strings that mark off the square, because falling down the hill is not a pleasant experience!

A sample dig

A working dig

The children got their trowels and began scraping away dirt in hopes of finding interesting items buried underneath. They did find some pieces of broken pottery and some charcoal.

Demonstrating the technique

Working together

Some of the finds

One of the children asked about all the stuff they found and it came out that the archeologists had put some items back in the ground for the kids to find. A bit of a trick, but then the archeologist could talk about the various items and what they tell us about the site.

We then went over and looked at other objects that have been found and preserved during this past thirty years of exploring the site.

Showing some of the earlier finds

Examining artifacts

Some objects are found whole, such as buttons or bits of jewelry. Some are partial items, like an old toothbrush that was missing its bristles and most of its handle. Studying these items let the archeologists learn more about the people who lived here and what they did. Sometimes the objects are broken bits, often from dishes or cookware. Pottery is often reconstructed, which was our next activity. The children tried to piece back together some shattered items (the items were from Target, not from local digging).

Putting plates back together

Working hard

After this final activity, the class had a chance to sit together on the steps for a photo before heading back down the hill.

Class without the teacher

Class with the teacher

Patapsco Female Institute, Maryland--Part I

My son is in a special class that has been studying archeology. As the unit came to an end, they had a field trip to the Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott City. The Institute was built in 1837 on a hill just outside of town. We parked by the courthouse and had to walk up, an activity much easier for the children than for adults.

The gate by the road

Walking up the hill

View from the front steps

The front steps

The Patapsco Female Institute was a finishing school for girls from eleven to nineteen. They studied math, music, Latin, religion, botany, and philosophy. Anywhere from 100 to 150 students per semester studied there, though enrollment declined in the late 1800s and the school was closed in 1891. It was converted into a posh hotel for several years. It also served as a hospital during World War I, a retirement home, and a theatrical venue. It still serves as an open air theater in the summers, as well as being an archeological site year round.

Our docents were young and professional. After a quick overview of the work they do, the class was split into two groups--one to tour the building while the other did some archeology. My son's group did the tour first. We started at the front of the building and discussed its Greek Revival style (popular in the mid-1800s) and its good location (the first American railroad had a stop at the bottom of the hill; the Patapsco River and several turnpikes came through the area; Baltimore is not far away). Most students at the Institute were from the South, making enrollment tricky during the American Civil War.

Learning a bit of history

Then we headed into the building. The archeologist explained that there are two types of things they found at sites--artifacts, which are man-made things often dug out of the ground; and features, which are man-made structures or objects that can't be moved, like walls or ruins. So the building is a feature on the site. When the building was stabilized, they decided not to make a new roof, leaving a nice, open-air feeling. The first area was where the entrance parlors stood. Students would meet with visiting parents in these front room. The restorers left an outline in the wood floor where the walls and fireplaces would have been.

In the front rooms

Outline of walls and fireplaces

These fireplaces were situated right about other, downstairs fireplaces that were part of the kitchen complex.

Directly below the fireplace outlines

View down into another part of the kitchens, with a main fireplace and a bread oven

Close up with bread oven on right

Another interesting feature is an added wing that contained the chapel and a mysterious room downstairs. Our guide asked us to guess what the room was used for.

Wing room with a wall in the middle?

Large rounded windows show where the chapel was

The guide had one of the children read about the chapel from a diary entry by one of the students. She described the first day the chapel was used and the various girls who were baptized by a local minister.

The guide also explained that they don't know why that extra wall was added to the downstairs room. Any guesses were welcome though no definitive answers came. We continued on through the basement.

Showing where the staircases were

Another intriguing room in the basement was a room with no entrance. The best guess is that the room was a root cellar or other storage area, probably accessed through a trap door with a ladder.

Looking down into an unused room

The guide said the room was probably a furnace room for the hotel since the round structure at the end looks like a chimney. Outside, she showed us some spikes in the walls where the hoteliers put in a deck for dining.

Two spikes to the right of the bottom of the window/doorway

The guide displayed various photos and drawing of the Institute through the years. The most interesting part to me was a tuition bill. The total of the bill for the April to August semester was $213. One item on the list was a broken pitcher, so I guess the girl had an accident or was klutzy.

We switch to archeology in the next post!

Book Review: X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse Vol. 1 by S. Lobdell et al.

X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse Volume 1 Alpha written by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb, Warren Ellis, and others

Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, has a mutant son maned David Haller. Haller is better known as the villain Legion, so named because he has multiple personalities who all have different mutant powers. Legion has been in a coma for years. Unfortunately, the coma has been quite restorative, reintegrating his various personalities and powers in one semi-sane person. And he's woken up. After considering the situation, Legion decides that his father's dream (of mutants and humans living together in harmony) has been frustrated by Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto. To fix the situation, Legion goes back in time to when Charles and Erik first met with the intent to kill Erik. In the fight, he kills the wrong guy, thus generating a world in which Charles Xavier never had a chance to work on his dream. Erik, strangely enough, picks up his friend's idealism and leads a group of mutants in the new version of the future/present.

And the new future is pretty terrible (outside of Quantum Leap, has time travel ever fixed anything?). Apocalypse has organized his own group of mutants and taken over North America. Humans are either eliminated or sent to work camps or gathered for genetic experimentation. Mutants are either recruited or eliminated. Magneto leads the X-Men in the fight against Apocalypse. But it's an uphill battle. Apocalypse has plenty of evil henchmen, like Cyclops and Beast (who were good guys in the "normal" reality), aiding his plans to expand his empire outside North America.

The book is an interesting "what if" scenario that is played out on a grand scale. In addition to completely altering the history, the story also changes the allegiances and appearances of many characters. Jean Grey and Wolverine (who is know as Weapon X since he was never recruited away from that program) are a couple who run missions for Magneto. Rogue is Magneto's wife and they have a son, Charles, who is a toddler hidden at the ruins of Xavier's Westchester mansion. The shifts for the characters are fun but without some extensive knowledge of X-Men history it can be hard to follow. The other challenge is keeping track of the various plotlines. And the story doesn't end with this fairly thick volume. I'm interested enough to keep going.

Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America: Civil War (2016) directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

The Avengers face their greatest foe yet--government bureaucracy! After another battle on foreign soil has unintended civilian deaths, the U.S. government, in conjunction with the United Nations, is demanding that the Avengers and all other superheroes come under direct supervision of a government committee. The "agreement" is called the Sokovia Accords and the heroes are expected to sign it. Tony Stark/Iron Man is all in favor because he knows the cost in human lives of their actions. Steve Rogers/Captain America is against it because he has seen government agencies fail. As the nations gather to sign the accords, a terrorist attack interrupts. Video footage shows James "Bucky" Barnes/the Winter Soldier was responsible. Among the dead are the King of Wakanda, leaving his son Prince T'Challa in charge and vengeful. He has his own super suit and secret identity--the Black Panther. Steve wants to save his friend Bucky, but that means fighting both Black Panther and Iron Man. Things get further out of control as the movie goes along.

The movie does a good job balancing the serious drama and the action/adventure fun of a summer super-hero movie. The characters' discussions of who should be responsible are interesting and have nuance. The action scenes are exciting and give the chance for every character to shine. The movie also keeps a good sense of humor, lightening the mood.

The movie is a very enjoyable start to the summer blockbuster season!

Dual/Duel Review: Uno Roboto vs. Uno: Doctor Who

Dual/Duel reviews are an online smackdown between two books, movies, games, podcasts, etc. etc. that I think are interesting to compare, contrast, and comment on. For a list of other dual/duel reviews, go here.

Uno is such a popular game that has come out in many different variations, hoping to increase sales. Two variants are the subjects of our smackdown today: Uno Roboto and Uno: Doctor Who. In addition to sharing a sci-fi vibe, they definitely look like two robots ready to battle it out:

The contenders

Let's clear up one issue first--yes, I know that Daleks are not robots. In fact, this particular Dalek is just a stylish carrying case for the deck of cards. The cards also have a Doctor Who theme, with visuals borrowed from the rebooted version of the show. Otherwise the deck is mostly the same as a regular Uno deck--four colors of cards with numbers and some specialty cards.

Sample cards

The various Wild Cards (and the back of all the cards)

The one difference is the "EXTERMINATE" Wild Card. When played, the player with the fewest cards in hand has to draw four cards. The regular Wild Draw 4 makes the next player (who may not be the one with the fewest cards) draw four. So the game plays mostly like a regular Uno game.

Uno Roboto comes with a standard Uno deck along with the fun plastic pal who makes the game different.

Fun plastic pal

He's not entirely plastic--he does require some batteries. When turned on, each player can record a name into the microphone (those five dots where his belly button should be). The players can also add a "house rule" which will randomly occur during the game. Cards are dealt as normal but the discard pile is the top of the robot's head, which has a button that makes a pleasant beep when a card is put in. Except when it doesn't make a pleasant beep. The robot occasionally gives random instructions, like telling a player to draw or discard cards, or two players to trade hands, or whatever the house rule is. So the random element of the game is ramped up. Oh and I should mention that the robot typically speeds up any recorded name or house rule, so it sounds like the person sucked some helium before speaking into the microphone. I think it's meant to be cute, but your mileage may vary. When someone wins, that player pushes the blue button and a trumpet fanfare sounds.

I see these two games contending in various fields:

• Sci-Fi credentials--Doctor Who clearly wins out here
• Cute factor--Uno Roboto is very cute (maybe too much); the Doctor Who monsters are fairly scary looking and may be disturbing to little kids (if not, something is wrong with your little kid!). Uno Roboto wins out here.
• Making Uno more fun--The Doctor Who version is almost the same as the base game, though the EXTERMINATE card can make a game go longer. Uno Roboto is cute and the extra randomness just makes the game more random and thereby frustrating for strategic players. If you are playing Uno to demonstrate your strategic and tactical superiority, you need to find another game. Uno Roboto wins here.
• Packaging--Uno Roboto comes with a deck box for the cards that doesn't quite fit into the tray on top of his head, making storage a little awkward. The Doctor Who Dalek doesn't easily store in with other card games but it looks very nice on a shelf. Doctor Who wins here.
• Availability--Uno Roboto is in print and available world-wide. Doctor Who is only available in the UK and even there it is out of print, making it tough to find (we bought it at a church sale when we lived in the UK). Uno Roboto wins here.

By a three-to-two count, the winner is Uno Roboto! (Though the Dalek does look a lot better on the shelf).