Working on a Project...

So, I'm writing historical-ish article series for The Coliseum. I'm playing with the idea of spinning it into an entity with a broader focus. We'll see. You can check out the first pair of articles (in .pdf format) here and here.

[anachrowiki]

Now, folks would usually ask, what are you going to do with your thesis?

My answer would like to be, I'm working for a gaming company or magazine.

Sadly, such jobs seem few and far apart (and rarely in the Midwest). Instead, I'm busting my ass to promote such things as Anachronism.

To whit: serving on the committee for the Clash of Titans Tournament, starting up the Anachronism Cup, and populating the [anachrowiki]. It's the last one that occasionally inspires frustration. I'm flying through pages and entries, and it would be so much quicker if anyone else could even make one card page per day.

In addition, though I'm concerned about differentiating the site from Dr. Heard's amazing and original Dystemporalia, not many others have my concern. My feeling is that there's a niche the [anachrowiki] can fit into; it doesn't need to cover the same ground as Dystemporalia.

Anyway, links can be found to the right. I've thrown in a few "easter eggs" inside the wiki.

Nicopolis, 1396: the Battle

It looks like the third article I wrote for the TriKing Games' Players' Section has finally been posted. No surprise that it's on my favorite little number from Set 6, Savasi Nicopolis. Sure, there are other cards nearer and dearer to my heart, but I always go back to the beautiful simplicity of Savasi.

And now for the storage of graphics for the upcoming Anachronism Cup:

Baba Yaga: Give Auntie a Kiss!

Eventually, I plan to re-post the article here, with better paragraph breaks. Until then, here's the article in the TriKing Players' Section.

One of the TriKing folks mentioned that they've been having issues with site updates, hence the reason my two latest (and linked) articles have yet to appear. I may put them up here, but I want to wait for the company to have a chance to put them up.

Crown’d at Scone: Stone of Destiny

MALCOLM:
“So, thanks to all at once, and to each one,
Whom we invite to see us crown’d at Scone.”
—Macbeth (Act V, Scene 8)

I love the Scottish Play.

There’s something about great action, brilliant dialogue, rampant historical inaccuracy, and sucking up to King James I (or VI, depending on geography) that really sets my brain ablaze. That and the “sound and fury” speech. Gets me every time.

But let’s face it. Macbeth might be known as the Scottish Play, and it might be about Scottish thanes, but it’s obviously an English piece of work. Kind of like our Anachronism card here; it was in England for seven centuries, English monarchs sat on it during their coronations, but it’s so bloody Scottish.

the History
I think the primary reason I love this card is the same that I love Anachronism: it carries a lot of history in it, more than the few ounces of cardboard and ink you feel just before you reveal it. Yes, it’s a game, but there is something exciting about using the Stone of Destiny in a game.

So, where did this big ol’ rock come from? Your guess is as good as mine, really. Learned men and women have debated that question, and have yet to reach a satisfying answer. Legend, as the card’s flavor text relates, tells us that the Biblical personage of Jacob used it as a pillow during his post-blessing journey. This accounts for the Stone’s nickname, the Pillow Stone.

While we’re on the subject, this is another way the Stone is akin to Macbeth. It refuses to be known by only one name It’s the Pillow Stone, Stone of Destiny, Stone of Scone… It depends who you ask and where they come from.

Wherever the Stone came from, it was definitely in use by the time the events in that Scottish Play occurred. It rested in the village of Scone (hence the name), where Scottish monarchs went to be crowned. For centuries, this hunk of geology was a sacred part of the coronation ritual in Scotland.

Then along came the man they call “Longshanks.”

The injuries that Edward I of England did to the Scots are another article entirely. But the insult he added to these was even greater. A few years before the turn of the fifteenth century, Edward took the Stone as a victory prize. Suddenly, the symbol of Scottish rulers was in the hands of the English monarch. Actually, “in the hands of” might be a little off. Perhaps “under his can” would be a more apt description, as Edward placed it into a throne, right under the seat. For the next 700 years, English coronation ceremonies included the king or queen taking a seat in old Edward’s chair.

Conspiracy theories aside, the Stone remained in England for centuries. Even when a Scottish king became the English ruler (the aforementioned James), the Stone stayed in England. It wouldn’t leave until 1950, when a handful of Scottish students spirited it away. Stole it, really. The Stone was home for less than a year before the authorities were informed about it, and returned it to England. It wasn’t until 1996 that the Stone of Destiny—Scone—whichever, made its way back to Scotland. It rests in Edinburgh Castle… a headquarters for the British Army.

the Card
Though I love the history of the object, what also draws me to this card is its design. To begin with, this was the first dual-culture card (or the only one, depending on how you view the “Pirate” designation). The mere inclusion of a dual-culture card begs a lot of design questions: what background should be used? What language/dialect (for the ability names)? Which name should be displayed at the top?

By looks, the Stone is a Briton card. Even though it is considered a Scottish icon, this decision makes sense. Scottish promo cards weren’t released until Set 4. The decision to make it Briton in design also suggests the name: “Destiny” instead of “Scone.”

In addition, the Stone of Destiny is the perfect example of what a promo card should be. There are a lot of warrior possibilities that could have had the Stone as part of their pack (Malcolm/Calum III, for example). But placing it with a specific warrior would not only make it overly British/Scottish, it would lessen its importance. The Stone is not central to one warrior’s story – it is a relic that has touched upon many stories throughout the millennia. It needs to be its own card.

And for us dreamers, Stone of Destiny gives us hope of a Destiny deck, if TriKing ever makes the Spear of Destiny. Until then, here’s what I’ve used it in.

in Play
Stone of Destiny is not a subtle card. You sack experience, you gain a roll bonus. Turning experience into a resource wasn’t really seen until Set 4, with cards like Ivan and Dmitry. But, even using cards like Waitangi, experience was still a very limited resource. Experience only became a renewable resource in Set 5. That’s when we got a Itzcóatl. This Aztec warrior gives you 2 experience every time you hit with a basic attack (the tradeoff being his base damage is zero). My Itzcóatl/Stone of Destiny build looks something like this:

Itzcóatl
San Jie Gun
Stone of Destiny
Hadis Kaiim
Griwban

Is it a guaranteed winner? Nah. Three initiative in the second round isn’t great, and it’s heavily reliant on attack modifiers and multiple San Jie Gun attacks. And let’s not forget the vulnerability versus Horemheb. But it is a fun build to play, if you like to gamble. Which I do.

With 9 Life and 4 Speed, Itzcóatl gives you a good chance of making it to the third round. Stone of Destiny pairs well with San Jie Gun, giving you weapon attacks with an average +6 to attack. In the third round, Hadis Kaiim gives you either the edge in initiative, or give you more experience. And Griwban… well, what other armor are you going to stuff in the possibly-unused fourth slot?

When it comes down to it, Stone of Destiny is not a power card. There just aren’t enough ways to turn experience into a renewable resource. But you knew that already. Stone of Destiny is just plain cool in and of itself. It’s a relic supposedly from the time of the Old Testament, important to Scottish nationalists, important in UK history, stolen by an English king, stolen back by Scottish students.

There’s the final way Stone of Destiny is like Macbeth. It’s got a darned good story.

State of the Cantina Address

(J. walks in, flips on the lights.)

Hello, anyone here? Man, it's been too long. There's dust bunnies mating in the corner, it looks like...

I guess this is what happens when the Gamers Lounge has its own message board. A site like this becomes slightly unnecessary.

To that end, I hereby reinstate the Anachronism Cantina with a new purpose: a place where I can wax verbose about the game. I figure most of my readers have an interest in Anachronism, but those couple that do, this Bud's for you. (Actually, it's a Leinenkugel's. Fine Wisconsin brew.)

I decided to resurrect this site after tonight's Five-Warrior tourney. It was a good time: a mix of new faces and Anachronism vets, some surprises, a lot of Romanian cards, and even a Set 7 tease.

Here are my random ruminations from the last month of tourneys:

• Savasi Nicopolis is the new Mercury. By that, I mean, it's a 9-initiative support card you play when you want to go first round 3 (assuming your warrior has high experience). This is especially true if you use decks with attack-roll bonuses. So far this month, it's happened twice that players have revealed Savasi Nicopolis on the same round. -4 to defense rolls? Ouch.
• Romanians are hardcore. There's no way around it. I've seen them all over the place, and used to deadly effect.
• I got to play an Achilles vs. Hector out-of-the-pack game with, well, Achilles (the '06 world champ). Hector's got a pretty sweet pack. His ability can be janky. And I got a few hints on the Aeneas pack. Set 7's lookin' pretty cool.