Google+ The Geeks Menagerie: 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Episode 5 - Harn Master RPG!



Tonight's episode I sit down with Greg and Uriel to discuss the Role playing world of Harn.

Listen to the episode HERE

Be sure to subscribe  to the show on Itunes and leave us a review!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

West end Games- Star Wars Finds!


 So last weekend I was on the hunt for more Role Playing Game books for my office shelves and I hit the jackpot! I found The Dark Empire, Shadows of the empire and The Jedi academy Source books. The best part was getting three for the price of two! The cashier forgot to ring one of them up! I got all three for $16

Zenit Miniatures - Kensei



 Kensei is a new miniature wargame inspired in feudal Japan designed for two or more players.
The characters, histories and legends from Kensei " War in Hymukai" are inspired by the history and mythology of feudal Japan and Asia. Created by Zenit Miniatures




These are the most beautifully sculpted Samurai miniatures I think I have ever seen. They have a really nice variety of military  units: Dai-Katana Samurai, No-Dachi Samurai, Yari and Yumi Ashigaru, Naginata Monks, Ashigaru with Teppo(Rifles)

I like the fact that these are sold as sets, the Basic army pack includes 21 miniatures ($65.93/$3.10 per mini) for you to start forming your armies. The other sets contain 5 Samurai each ($26 -$35/ $5 - $7 per mini) Very reasonable considering the quality of sculpts.

Check out the Kensei store for more details










They also have the individual Heroes from  each of the clans, these are so cool. I wont go into the rules set for the system, i'll let you look over the free Kensei Rulebook PDF and decide for yourselves if it will work for your play style. (updated version dec 4th 2012) Let me know what you think.

Also I wanted to mention one section of the rule book that I found very interesting:


Three factions: Before you start to play
you must choose one faction to play your
games. In this game there is a conflict
among three social classes who struggle
to dominate the Himukai Empire; these
are represented by three different factions:
the Buke, the warrior class; the
Kuge, the aristocratic class; and theSohei, the religious class. Choose your
faction and create a clan belonging to
it. In order to give more depth to your
games you can make up the whole history
of your clan, its name or its symbol
(mon); you can also name your characters,
name your Daimyo, establish the
lands they rule over and the internal
relations within the same clan. It all
depends on the depth you want to provide
the game with. Nothing prevents
you from creating a campaign for you
or at your game club; your only limit is
your imagination.



I love this! I love a system that encourages its players  to expand the game out side of just war gaming. I can see this system working great in conjunction with a Legend of the Five Rings RPG campaign. Which I plan on starting after I order my Army Box set! So plan on seeing a follow up review down the road. One other item I want to mention is a product by Craft Plast Games who make oriental buildings and bridges specifically for the 28mm Kensei miniatures.





Sunday, December 23, 2012

Episode 4 - Retro Comics!




This episode we discuss the 1983 New Mutants and the first two issues of X-force from Marvel Comics.






Friday, December 21, 2012

Star Wars - Dark Horse Comics

With the Disney's acquisition of Lucas film and everything that goes with it, we knew it was coming:

BlueSky Disney posted dec. 17th

"Starwars has a large, expansive universe beyond the films...

 From television, games, toys, clothing, books to comics, the galaxy George Lucas created is vast and filled with boundless opportunities. If you love Star Wars and you collect comics, then you know that Dark Horse Comics has had the licensing rights to the Galaxy Far, Far Away for a long, long time. And they've done some very interesting, and quite high quality tales over the years.

 One of the things that many people wondered after Disney boughtLucasfilm was how long will this relationship continue? Especially since the Mouse owns Marvel, the largest comics publisher in the world. Well, it appears we now have the answer. The Suits in the know have determined that no new contracts will be given to Dark Horse after the current ones expire. So all new projects after 2013 will be handled internally by Marvel.

 It's not known yet if titles will be worked into the regular line up, or will Marvel create a special branch of the company that deals with Star Wars. It'll take a couple of years for the old deals to work there course, but the stories that Dark Horse have coming down the pipeline will be the last. And you can expect anything new from Marvel dealing with Star Wars to arrive around 2015.

 Interesting year for that to happen..."



I have to say that even though I knew the Franchise was going to MARVEL at some point, I am a bit sad. I have been reading the Dark Horse Starwars comics since 1990. Tales of the Jedi was my gateway comic! Like an addict I had to have more and DH delivered. 

But, lets not look at this as a bad thing. Maybe a move back to Marvel will be a good refresh for the expanded universe. Keeping in mind that they might drop DH from the comic-verse history, but I think that wont happen, mainly because it would be damn hard to make people forget about 20+ years worth of stories. 

The Marvel relaunch will coincide with episode 7 and all we can do is hope for some really good stories. =)




Now back to Dark Horse and their current and upcoming books for 2013!  Star Wars:

Dawn of the Jedi - The Prisoner of Bogan #1

Lost Tribe of the Sith - Spiral #4

Purge - The Tyrant's Fist #1

Agent of the Empire - Hard Targets #2


Star Wars #1                                                   Jan 2013 


This is Star Wars as you remember it . . . and as you have never seen it before! We’re taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen!
* Writer Brian Wood (The MassiveConan the Barbarian).
* Artist Carlos D’Anda (Batman: Arkham City).
* Cover artist Alex Ross!
* Classic era, classic characters, all-new Star Wars!
Read the Newsarama interview with Brian Wood

Dark Times - Fire Carrier #1                            feb 2013


Jedi Master K’Kruhk is on the run with a group of young Padawans. In a galaxy suddenly hunting Jedi, they are forced to land on an Imperial-run planet, hiding in the refugee camp, among other beings who were displaced by the Clone Wars. But K’Kruhk senses there is something wrong!

* Is K’Kruhk the last hope for the Jedi Order?

* On the run from Vader!

I love the Dark Times stories, definitely pre-order this book!


Legacy - Prisoner of the Floating World #1     Mar 2013 


Exploring the galaxy . . . Solo style!

Despite her famous heritage, Ania Solo is just a girl trying to make her way in a galaxy gone bad. But it all gets worse when she comes into possession of a lightsaber and an Imperial communications droid—and discovers she has been targeted for death!

* She’s Han and Leia’s great-great granddaughter introduced to the Legacy saga!

* In the aftermath of War, the Solo clan lives on!

* A new ongoing series!

* From the acclaimed creators of Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes!





So as you can see there are a lot of really great Star Wars books continuing into 2013 and launching next year! Also a ton of collected editions to keep you reading star wars books for a long time to come.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Episode 3 - The Video Game Discussion!



We discuss different video games  for PC and Console systems and a special guest(or two)!

Episode 3 - The Video game Discussion

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Regular Show - Action figures!


As I was fighting the crowds at Toys -R- Us collecting up toys for Christmas, I came across the Regular show line of toys! Stands to reason that Cartoon Network was going to release them, but I never thought to look for them before. Here is a run down of whats available:


2" Action Figure Collectors 6 Pack: $22.99







7" Plush - Pops, Skips, Benson: $7.99 each Mordecia and Rigby: $8.99 each






10" Deluxe Pull String Plush - Rigby and Mordecia: $17.99 each





3" "Super Poseable" Action Figure: Mordecia and Rigby - $6.99 each






3" Action Figure: Retro - Mordecia and Retro - Rigby - $6.99 each







3" Pull Back Vehicle - Mordecia and Rigby: $8.99 each



These can all be found at your local Toys-R-Us or on thier online store: HERE

I love Regular Show and wanted to share these with you =)






Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Episode 2 - Munchkin Fu live play!


Episode 2 is up! We had a lot of fun with this weeks episode, we had our friends Uriel, Jessica, Greg and tracy over to play Munchkin Fu! Sit back and have a listen!

Episode 2 - Munchkin Fu

The Anvil

 My dad has a few different mini anvils in his shop and he decided to make hammers for them. The anvil is 4.5" long x 2" tall, Ball peen and blacksmiths hammers are 2.25" long x 7/8 wide


The following link has a nice set of mini anvil collections and actual black smithing tips. go check it out:

Miniature anvil collections



Saturday, December 8, 2012

Valve - Living Room PC


VALVE WILL CREATE ITS OWN CAREFULLY MANAGED PC ECOSYSTEM

"Valve has stayed mostly quiet about its plans to enter the hardware business, but in aninterview with Kotaku at last night's Video Game Awards, Gabe Newell confirmed the company's plans to sell its own living room PC that could compete with next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. The biggest revelation is that Valve seems set to release its own complete hardware and software solution. When we first reported that the company was working on a "Steam Box" back in March, it appeared that Valve was working on prototype that would establish a baseline for hardware manufacturers, but it wasn't clear if the company would sell its own product or simply release the designs to others. Newell's comments to Kotaku provide a much clearer picture of what's happening; Newell says that he expects companies to start selling PCs designed for the living room next year — which Kotaku says could have Steam preloaded — and that Valve will create its own distinct package.


Newell suggests that the company will create its own carefully managed PC ecosystem that's distinct from the one offered by other hardware partners — a possibility that our own Sean Hollister exposed after looking at the company's comments and actions in recent years, including its aversion to Windows 8, its recent embrace of Linux, and its existing push into the living room with Big Picture Mode. Newell tells Kotaku that "our hardware will be a very controlled environment," and that some people will want a "turnkey" solution for their living room.
As a digital distribution platform, Steam is wildly successful, with more than five million concurrent users on any given day and over 50 million users in total (by comparison, Xbox Live has more than 40 million users). But Valve doesn't reap any income from the sale of hardware that runs its platform or the software it hosts, and the company doesn't control Windows, which is the most popular platform among computers running Steam.
Newell stopped short of saying that the company was building a Linux-based Steam OS, but he reportedly says that the next step for the company's living room operation is to enable Big Picture on Steam for Linux. From there, the timeline is still pretty murky — we only know that Newell expects some hardware to show up sometime next year — but Valve's intent to compete in the living room in a big way is no longer a secret."

Posted from theverge.com

Megascifi.com - Robotech Community


As I was searching the inter-webs this morning I came across an interview  with writer James Luceno. Robotech fans first encountered Jim’s work from when he coauthored the Robotech Novelizations with Brian Daley, the two of them shared the pseudonym Jack McKinney. Star Wars fans will know of him from Darth Plagueis and Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader many more novels. You can read the interview here:

Interview

and a very cool time line:



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Neil's Puppet Dreams!



Way too funny! check it out. Also dont forget to check out the other shows over at the Nerdist channel!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Online daily Comic Strips


If your a fan of comic strips then this is the site for you. gocomics.com I would like to give a run down of all of the strips the site contains.... but I dont have several hours to type up a list. They do have classics like the peanuts, garfield, Calvin & Hobbes and B.C. You can sign up to receive daily emails with as many strips as you would like to read. Go take a look at the site and try reading a few strips  that you havent tried before. You might be surprised what you can find!


The art of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles

If your anything like me you love Robotech! Luckily for us the folks over at Harmony Gold are still (slowly) producing Robotech material. 2013 looks to be the release date for "Love, Live, Alive", a modern remake of the original Japanese animated movie and it looks like a lot of the original voice actors from the next generation series will be involved. So at least we have something to look forward too from an animation stand point. Rumor had it Harmony was planning on continuing the Shadow Chronicles, but I haven't heard much about that.

Palladium books is releasing a couple new supplements, Genesis Pits which will be out around Christmas and UEEF Marines for their Robotech RPG Line. In other book related news, Robotech.com has released a Shadow Chronicles art book. Here is the description:


The Art of ROBOTECH: The Shadow Chronicles

The long-awaited comeback film Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles picks up directly from the pioneering space opera that first aired on television in 1985. The breathtaking animated movie combines the talents of artists, producers, musicians, and actors from around the globe, from Los Angeles and Tokyo to Seoul and Prague. Now, all the art - both classic designs from Robotech's Japanese heritage and modern digital production techniques from The Shadow Chronicles - that went into putting Robotechnology and Protoculture back on the screen has been collected into this stellar new full-color book from Stone Bridge Press. Everything fans seek in a film companion is right here:

- an inside look at the evolution of Robotech and the anime industry over three decades
- plot guides for the TV series and the movie
- in-depth character, mecha, and vessel profiles
- over 100 pages of concept art and production design
- detailed mecha and vessel statistics
- hundreds of full-color images, many never-before released
- a glossary of Robotech terms
- production commentary from director Tommy Yune
- foreword by original Robotech producer Carl Macek


Thats it for now from the Robotech War front, I do plan on doing a review of the Genesis Pits source book when I pick up a copy.

X-O Manowar #1 - Read it for free!

Monday, December 3, 2012

The First Menagerie

Here is our first Podcast: Episode 1

Final fantasy X!V


Check out the new End of an Era video for Final Fantasy XIV and then swing over to the official web site for details on the new game. It looks awesome!

Usagi has a word with Stan Sakai about 47 Ronin

The following images are from the Usagi Yojimbo Zone on the Darkhorse Comics website. They are way to cool and I had to share:

 Read the rest of the story over at the Darkhorse Usagi Page!



Star wars Legacy set to return!! 2013


Provided by the guys over at the CBR website 

"Next year, fans of the "Star Wars" franchise will still be reading comic stories set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but the latest round of stories from Dark Horse will be set a little less of a long time ago.The publisher today revealed exclusively to CBR News that "Star Wars: Legacy" will return in the new year. Set over 100 years after the events of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, the newest iteration of the book will be written by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, best known for their well-received run on BOOM! Studios' "Planet of the Apes" comics. Dark Horse provided this first look at the cover to issue #1 by artist Dave Wilkins:
Originally launching in 2006 from writer John Ostrander, "Legacy" shook up the Star Wars comics line by pushing the "expanded universe" timeline farther than it had gone before. That series starred Cade Skywalker, a Jedi-turned-smugler who had abandoned the honorable path set by his ancestor Luke.
Detail are scarce on how this new series will follow up on that previous, popular "Legacy" series, which lasted 50 issues with an additional mini series wrapping in early 2011, but one solid piece of info provided by Dark Horse is that this comic will carry the Skywalker bloodline in a new way. Namely, the series lead will be a young woman who is the great-granddaughter of original movie characters Han Solo and Leia Organa! While the pair have born twins in the previous expanded universe tales, the status and the outlook of this new face remain unknown."

I am so excited to hear that the Legacy series is coming back next year. It will be interesting to see how they handle the other side of the family. Makes me wonder if it will be Jacen Solos descendant or Jaina and Jagged Fel?
What do you guys think? Post a comment, who do you think it will be?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Doctorin' the Tardis (Timelords)

Since we are officially in December now and the Doctor Who Christmas Special is only a few weeks away, I had to share this classic music video:


Do you remember this video? leave us a comment!

Could you survive as the doctors companion?


Take this 10 question personality quiz to see if you can handle being the Doctors companion. I'm proud to say I made it!


Your result: Congratulations! You made it unscathed! 

OK, you may have lost a loved one or two along the way and you probably haven't got out of the TARDIS in the same place and time you got in, but trust me, in comparison with some travellers, you have done very well!

Ok so its not the greatest quiz but it was kind of fun!


watch out for killer snowmen!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Can't say I am suprised I am a Rogue

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Rogue (6th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-15
Constitution-13
Intelligence-16
Wisdom-15
Charisma-12

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Rogues have little in common with each other. While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, and simple thugs. Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get. While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage. Rogues also seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to avoiding danger. Experienced rogues develop nearly magical powers and skills as they master the arts of stealth, evasion, and sneak attacks. In addition, while not capable of casting spells on their own, a rogue can sometimes 'fake it' well enough to cast spells from scrolls, activate wands, and use just about any other magic item.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Friday, November 30, 2012

Robotech - Genesis pits Source Book



For those of you that haven't heard yet, the new Robotech source book is done!


Palladium Books® Weekly Update – November 29, 2012 



"UPDATE: Robotech® Genesis Pits™ Sourcebook finished!
Wayne Smith had one primary mission this week: To get Robotech Genesis Pits completely laid out and finished. As of this Weekly Update, only a few pages remain to be finished. This book is one of the biggest RPG sourcebooks for Robotech® yet, and introduces a wealth of information, characters, menaces and fuel for adventure, including new types of Invid and mutants and monsters from the Genesis Pits. If you haven’t read the updated and expanded Genesis Pits description from last week, check it out below. This book should be ready to ship around Christmas-time. We’ll give you an exact date when we hear back from the printer."

I cant wait for this book to finally be released, here is the full product discription:

In final production. Goes to the printer next week. This is an epic sourcebook that takes an in-depth look at the Invid Genesis Pits, their purpose, function, the mutants and monsters they unleash and the dangers they pose for non-Invid. It is jam-packed with never before seen information, mutations, mutation tables (so you can generate your own Genesis Pit monsters and characters) and more.

      - Inorganics and other war machines of the Invid Regent.
      - Gura-Invid – monstrous mutant Invid that do not leave when the Regess and her Invid legions   depart.
      - Bioroid and Zentraedi mutants, Simulagents and more.
      - Different types of Genesis Pits from across the galaxy.
      - Tables for creating Genesis Mutants as player characters and NPC villains.
      - Tables for creating Genesis Pit Monsters as player characters and NPC villains.
      - Secrets of the Invid and notable Genesis Pits of Earth.
      - Genesis Pit mutations, monsters and dinosaurs.

Artwork by Apollo Okamura, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Mike Mumah, Ben Rodreguiz, Mike Wilson, Nick Bradshaw, and others.
Written by Irvin Jackson. 8½ x 11 inch book format. Available only in the USA and Canada.
$16.95 – 96-128 pages. Cat. No. 555 – December release.

Head over to Palladiums website and pre-order this awesome book!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The menagerie is all new!

Hello everyone! As you can tell I've updated the blog and I want to welcome by best bud "D" or Roy Folkker as he will be know here. In addition to new content on the blog, we are teaming up for a new Podcast! Last night we recorded the first episode and it should be ready to post this weekend if everything  works out. So stay tuned for updates on the podcast!




Thursday, November 22, 2012

The castle project


So I have decided to complete the entire outer curtain wall surrounding the Keep. So, here is a run down of of the dimensions thus far:

The main gate and wall 

Total length: 54.5"
Height (wall): 
Height (tower/gate house): 10.5"

The Keep 

Height:
Width: 10.75"
Length: 14"

Keep Tower

Height: 14"
Width: 5"
Length: 5.5"






The Keep with an attached kitchen








Here is a shot from the west side of the castle, after looking everything over, im thinking of lowering the corner towers by 1.5". Possibly even swap them out with 4" diameter round towers.







Tuesday, November 20, 2012

What D&D Character am I? I'll give you one guess!

A lot of questions but pretty accurate results, best quiz I have found yet.


I Am A: Lawful Good Human Paladin (5th Level)-(Cavalier actually!)

Ability Scores:
Strength-17
Dexterity-12
Constitution-16
Intelligence-12
Wisdom-15
Charisma-17

Alignment:
Lawful Good A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Paladins take their adventures seriously, and even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paladin, a personal test an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Divine power protects these warriors of virtue, warding off harm, protecting from disease, healing, and guarding against fear. The paladin can also direct this power to help others, healing wounds or curing diseases, and also use it to destroy evil. Experienced paladins can smite evil foes and turn away undead. A paladin's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast. Many of the paladin's special abilities also benefit from a high Charisma score.

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (37)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (24)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (34)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (23)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Chaotic Evil ---- X (1)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (22)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXX (9)
Chaos --- (0)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXX (12)
Evil ---- X (1)

Race:
Human ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Dwarf ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Elf ------ XXXXXX (6)
Gnome ---- XXXXXX (6)
Halfling - XX (2)
Half-Elf - XXXXXXXXX (9)
Half-Orc - XXXX (4)

Class:
Barbarian - (-29)
Bard ------ (-25)
Cleric ---- (-2)
Druid ----- (-21)
Fighter --- (0)
Monk ------ (0)
Paladin --- XXXXXXXX (8)
Ranger ---- XX (2)
Rogue ----- XX (2)
Sorcerer -- XXXX (4)
Wizard ---- (-2)



Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)