July 12 2000 RussCon Report


Lone Star
Game Results
Evening's Soundtrack
Ratings
Links
RussCon Report Archives
Russ Zone
Ko Fight Club
There were 17 of us again, and we played 22 games! We had an unexpected visit from old-time gaming cohort Randy, vacationing from teaching college math to nubile young women in the Middle East. Randy should be here next week as well.

Congratulations to Jeff & Jonobie on their marriage!

Someone also brought some mighty unusual guacamole. Main ingredient = skim milk. Vinegar was also high on the ingredient list.


Lone Star

If anyone would like to see the good fun play Lone Star next weekend (Friday July 21 or Saturday July 22), let me know: we haven't picked a night yet. Wendy & I saw these 3 guys (Michael Stuart, Ken Bradley, and Craig Kanne) a couple years ago, and they're great; they do this play a couple nights every summer.
LONE STAR takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small town Texas bar. Roy, a brawny, macho type who had once been a local high school hero, is back in town after a hitch in Vietnam. Joined by his younger brother, Ray (who worships him), Roy sets about consuming a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military and amorous exploits. Roy cherishes three things above all: his country, his sexy young wife, and his 1959 pink Thunderbird! Add to the mix the local Roy wanna-be, and you've got some a show that has been an Austin favorite for four years running!
Admission is $6.00 & $10.00 for two.

Game Results

HedgehogsInAHurry6Jeffles 5 BobR 3 JP -1 JeffF -1 Dan -1 Marty -5
Vampire3JP 2 ChrisH 0 Steve -2
Loewenherz3JeffF 2 Dan 0 BobR -2
UnionPacific6Daniel 5 Clayton 3 Matt 1 Randy -1 WendyWhe -3 RussW -5
Nile3Tim 2 JonathanB 0 Kara -2
OhneFurchtUndAdel4Steve 3 Jeffles 1 JP -2 ChrisH -2
TitanArena5Marty 3 JonathanB 3 WendyWhe 0 Tim -2 Jeffles -4
StarVenture5RussW 4 Daniel 2 Randy 0 Matt -2 Clayton -4
Prick3ChrisH 1 Steve 1 Dan -2
Frank'sZoo4JP 3 ChrisH 1 BobR -1 Steve -3
Tayu2Jeffles 1 RussW -1
Tayu2RussW 1 Jeffles -1
TajMahal3JeffF 2 JP 0 BobR -2
BigCity4Daniel 3 JonathanB 1 Randy -2 Matt -2
Vampire3RussW 2 Randy 0 JonathanB -2
Vampire3JonathanB 2 RussW -1 Randy -1
SchottenTotten2JP 1 Steve -1
GreatKhanGame3Matt 2 Jeffles 0 Daniel -2
Prick4JP 3 Jeffles 1 Matt -1 Daniel -3
Bluff4RussW 3 Steve 1 Randy -1 JonathanB -3
Bluff4JP 3 Daniel 0 Matt 0 Jeffles -3
SchottenTotten2RussW 1 Randy -1

Last week I won Union Pacific, having the most shares of UnPac for all 3 payouts. This week I came in last with no UnPac payouts. Daniel won, with the most shares of UnPac. Perhaps there is a correlation...

We played the second game of Star Venture with 3 shares instead of 2 for founding a corporation. Thanks to folks who've been helping me playtest!

I won yet another game of Vampire. Eerie. But then Squeaky won the second won I played, almost knocking me to last place, but fortunately when he brought out his sixth set of purple, it knocked out Randy's, making me and Randy tie for 2nd.

In Tayu, Jeffles & I seem to have an unusual play style that leads us both to score very low and have huge parts of our sides cut off. In the first game, he kept me down to just one point on one of my sides. Amazing.

I heard Jeffles whining about losing all his countries in the Great Khan Game and how there was no way he could come back from last place...

That Bluff snob JP refuses to play Bluff with some of us, prefering to drink hot lead, but then happily plays Bluff with other people. Boy, I see how it is!

Schotten Totten is such a nifty short 2 player game. Be sure to give it a try if you find yourself stuck between games with just one other person!


Evening's Soundtrack

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu
Curve, Doppelganger
King Crimson, Three of a Perfect Pair
Michael Nyman, A Zed and Two Noughts

Ratings

Rank ratings:
 0.4091 JP (8 games played)
 0.3333 JeffF (3)
 0.2500 Daniel (6)
 0.2105 RussW (8)
 0.0625 JonathanB (6)
 0.0000 Tim (2)
 0.0000 Jeffles (8)
 0.0000 ChrisH (4)
-0.0714 Steve (6)
-0.1000 Matt (6)
-0.1111 Clayton (2)
-0.1667 BobR (4)
-0.2222 Marty (2)
-0.3000 Randy (7)
-0.3333 WendyWhe (2)
-0.3333 Dan (3)
-1.0000 Kara (1)

New Win ratings:
 0.4211 RussW (8)
 0.4091 JP (8)
 0.3333 JeffF (3)
 0.2222 Marty (2)
 0.2000 Daniel (6)
 0.0625 JonathanB (6)
 0.0000 Tim (2)
 0.0000 Steve (6)
-0.0455 Jeffles (8)
-0.1500 Matt (6)
-0.2000 ChrisH (4)
-0.2222 Clayton (2)
-0.3333 BobR (4)
-0.3333 WendyWhe (2)
-0.3500 Randy (7)
-0.4444 Dan (3)
-0.5000 Kara (1)
JP & I are Co-Devils! We also share the Dedicated Award with Jeffles. Tim wins the rare and coveted Extra Average Award (for having rank and win ratings both zero!) Kara has pulled off the rare and dangerous Reverse Brady Maneuver (playing one game and coming in last.)

Links

Jeez, fiction writers must beware using a character name that's similar to a celebrity's:
Jury awards Tony Twist $24.5 million in suit over use of his name

A cute Shockwave cartoon inspired by Video Killed the Radio Star:
Internet Killed the Video Star

Arty comic cartoon diary performance art thingie (requires Flash 4):
Modern Living

Star Trek : Voyager : Elite Force : The Demo : The Comic

modconModCon is an annual gathering of heavily modified bodies.

Interested in X-Men? Salon has an interesting essay about the mutants as marginalized outsiders:
The queer world of the X-Men

This X-Men site has nicely done political satire, complete with recently added topical content "Badger Scouts of America Join Effort to Protect Communities":
Mutant Watch


Evening's Soundtrack

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Deja Vu
Curve, Doppelganger
King Crimson, Three of a Perfect Pair
Michael Nyman, A Zed and Two Noughts

whoa, deja vu!

Whoa! Deja vu!

Russ