Maximum Miniatures?

In many ways, it is the greatest of ironies; when I began playing Dungeons & Dragons in junior high, very few of us had miniatures that looked anything like our characters, and we often used nickels and pennies or green army men to depict the various enemies. 

Having collected miniatures for RPGs and wargaming for four decades, I now have a tremendous assortment to draw on. Despite being a player or GM in four different campaigns, however, almost all of the playing I do is online, and the one I play in person (Call of Cthulhu) works far better as a 'theater of the mind' experience.

But when a newer player on one of my online D&D campaigns talked about seeing a friend play with a tacklebox full of miniatures and jokingly suggested we needed to "step up our game", I couldn't resist having a little fun and saying, "oh, hey, yeah - a tackle box with trays are a neat idea - i have been using these little transparent boxes from Amazon so it is easier to find stuff..."

"But of course that doesn't hold the large (and mostly prepainted stuff), so I just keep that in this ugly printer paper box:"

"And my metal figs, some of which I have had since I was thirteen, aren't much to look at but I can't bear to part with them either! So I still keep them in this figure case with foam trays:"

"Then I had a few extra foam trays I keep in this old Warhammer Fortress box:"

"...except for this one tray that doesn't fit and mostly holds unpainted stuff (oh, and 4 figs printed in colour from a Kickstarter adventure based on a  metal album called The Red Opera!)"

"Oh yeah, and this box that holds all the ninja and samurai figures I used to work into nearly every campaign I played in high school..."

"But that's about it, really...- oh, wait, the figure cabinet has two shelves of D&D stuff in it..."

"And this Lord of the Rings and Warhammer stuff would probably work in a pinch too, actually..."

At this point, another player mentioned a Kickstarter that is (allegedly) coming in at some point, and is actually a followup to this assortment of miniatures:

And as far as miniatures for D&D or other fantasy games go, that is really about it.

But let's not get started about all the wargaming armies, spaceships and Old West models lying around here!

And let's not talk about the biggest model either, because despite my experience with building Tiamat, she is not even in the running after Pete set Great Cthulhu on his tabletop a couple weeks back...

 

Pulpitations: Look Both Ways

(Today I delivered a sermon on the occasion of our ninth anniversary as an Affirming Ministry. I will be honest, I was pretty angry when preparing this sermon, and you can hear it in my voice several times if you watch the video here (password is S A U C o n g r e e n (remove spaces), sermon begins at 33:35). But despite the twists and turns the reflection took, I was both chagrined and satisfied with the results. The scriptures referenced are included at the end.)

Look Both Ways

Today is our ninth anniversary of becoming an Affirming Ministry! We did this through the guidance of and assistance from Affirm United.

This is why today’s choir anthem, “Umojo Tunaimba (United We Stand)”  or United We Sing, felt like such an appropriate choice. 

Coincidentally, it is also United Nations Sunday, because October 24, 1945 is the date the charter of the United Nations was signed.

Gosh, I have to say, it doesn’t feel like we live in a united nation at the moment - but to be fair, have we ever?

Over its history, Canada has probably spent more time divided than unified, if we are being honest about it: east versus west, French versus English, Leafs versus Habs (et al) and now a lot of left versus right.

And somehow, trying to advance the cause of equality, respect and inclusion for our 2SLGBTQIA+ family has gotten dragged into that last one. Which I have to admit, I find hard to understand. 

Do folks believe that no gay people want lower taxes? That no trans people desire smaller government? That there isn’t a 2-spirited person out there somewhere who thinks commerce is overregulated? 

But whatever the reason, some people have found it advantageous to just draw an enormous line through everything with big “US and “THEM” signs on either side. And as a result of this, it feels sometimes like society in general has lost some ground in obtaining and maintaining that progress .

The congregation of St. Albert United Church voted to sanctify same-sex marriages in 2009 following months of deliberative dialogue to ensure all perspectives were being heard. In 2012 we began the educational and reflective elements needed to become an Affirming Ministry and in 2014 we voted to become one by a significant majority. 

But it is worth noting that it is was not unanimous, and that is fine. Reasonable can agree to disagree.

But the whole time we were moving forward, it felt like there was much less, and much less organized opposition to our stance. Drag storytime protests and similar expressions of hostility are happening across North America, but let’s focus locally for a moment.

In St. Albert this June, two people left anti-2SLGBTQIA+ literature scattered around two playgrounds. 

Playgrounds - let that marinate a bit.

That same month, a red F-350 was captured on video doing a burnout on this city’s Pride crosswalk, a distressingly common trend in this province.

The city I grew up in, Leduc, had a crank show up at their council meeting from the Freedumb Convoy (that’s freedom with a “b”, by the way) and rant about government chemicals changing people’s genders against their will while his wife complained that some colours in the progress pride flag, like the one we have, condone necrophilia and bestiality - which, you probably don’t need to be told, is completely false. 

And most recently, there was a ‘Million Person March’ across the nation alleging to support parent’s rights, but was in fact a hate march protesting schools that include SOGI or sexual orientation and gender identity teaching in their curriculum.

I’m sorry, but this stuff gets me all kinds of riled up, to the point where later on in this reflection I am going to use a naughty word, so I will apologize in advance, and want you to have adequate time to prepare. Buckle up, everyone.

That march made me the angriest of all, for a couple reasons. First by trying to wrap hatred and intolerance under the banner of “protect our kids!” After all, what kind of scumbag doesn’t want to protect kids? How much support did these people gain by this misdirection? How much opposition did they prevent?

While this March was preparing, our church sign read, “We love and support our trans kids & everyone else!” I posted a picture of it on my Instagram, along with my concerns about the million person march. I was delighted to get a call from someone saying they never would have known this group’s real motivation, and might have tacitly approved of the march if I hadn’t done that.

This person ended up driving past marchers in a community close to the Saskatchewan border, and they wondered, “how many of the children that got dragged out to this event or just witnessing it are going to be afraid to share who they are in the future?” How many lesbian or gay teens will keep that closet door firmly closed? How many trans children will fear telling their parents how they feel, and may not even be able to discuss their gender identity or chosen pronouns with adults at school?

Do you understand what a powerful motivator fear is? And how those march organizers and the anonymous leaflet droppers and the people who picket drag storytime at libraries, that is exactly what they want? They want sexual minorities and the people who support them to be afraid. 

To be quiet.

To mind their place.

And that infuriates me.

It angers me as a citizen. It angers me as a person with gay and bi and queer people in my life. And it angers me as a person of faith.

But let’s start with applying just a smidgen of logic to one of these circumstances: the SOGI curriculum. I wish I could tell the marchers that this curriculum is not designed to “teach” or “indoctrinate” or “groom” (ooh, that one gets my goat) anyone. And if you try to suggest otherwise to a teacher, they are likely to laugh in your face. A teacher from Philadelphia tweeted “I'm a Leftist public school teacher and if I could Indoctrinate your children they would wear deodorant and stay off their phone during class.”

SOGI is no more likely to change your child’s orientation or identity than learning French is going to make them into a separatist, or studying the Russian Revolution will make them vote Marxist. 

Teachers are trying to prepare children for the diversity of the world they actually live in. No 14-year-old should be shocked at discovering that a kid in their algebra class has two moms or two dads. Or upset because past pictures of a boy in yearbook club used to identify as a girl. 

And as far as parental rights go, no one is stopping you from presenting an opposing paradigm at home. You want to teach your kid that Covid vaccines let satellites track you or that the earth is flat, it is not like anyone can stop you, sadly.

In fact, the most haunting image from that entire terrifying March was that sweet-faced kid, six, maybe seven years old, coming to the mic at the alleged million-person march in Calgary to say “I'd like to say that the gays are psychopaths and we're not psychopaths." And getting applauded for it.

And going on to say, "The gays, they are disgusting!"

To even more cheers. And I am enraged.

Because that kid’s family has successfully taught a child to hate. A child looking for the fish of wisdom was given instead the snake of bigotry. What a loss!

And thinking of that situation, and the crosswalks, and the lady in California who was shot to death because of the Pride flag she flew in her shop window, my anger increases at this wrong-headed judgementalism. And I know deep, deep in my heart that this is not the world God wants for us, for anyone, and I turn to the scriptures to back me up.

(Which, by the way, may well be the very worst thing you can do.)

But I do it anyways, and I have that “a-ha” moment looking at Matthew chapter 7: “‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”  That’s right, how dare those folks be so judgey!

And, “‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them underfoot and turn and maul you.” And I think to myself, ‘that’s right - there is no arguing with those people!’ It’s like my dad used to say, “Son, don’t was time arguing with an idiot - they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

But as I reflect on that passage, a strange insight occurs to me: what am I, at this moment, if not the judgiest one of all?

And I read Matthew again, but this time, different parts stand out for me, like  “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.”

And I am not going to lie - I came away a bit shamed. How foolish of me! How selfish and short-sighted! If you apply the teaching of Jesus without compassion, you stand in direct opposition to his ethos! I forgot that childhood lesson that when you point a finger at someone else, three are pointing back at you.

I didn’t consider other perspectives - I failed to look both ways.

But even in the cold light of this revelation, my anger remained unabated. 

And I struggled to take another look, and ask myself, where is all their anger coming from?

The same place mine comes from - fear.

And what is generating their fear? It could be a lot of things: the fear of change, fear of ‘the other’, fear of appearing ignorant, fear of the unknown. But a lot of that fear comes from straight-up misinformation. Some of the people saying the vilest, wrongest things are doing so because of “the mushroom effect” (and here comes the bad word, by the way): they are being kept in the dark and fed a steady diet of bullshit.

And uniting against that is a toughie in this age of “alternative facts”! But there is ground to be gained in speaking the truth - softly, but firmly, asserting what is correct, and fact-based and unassailable.

For example, just before Pride observances in Poland, someone on social media posted that the army would be creating “LGBTQ units.” This was, of course, untrue, but gave outraged people a chance to vet about how gay people should be burned at the stake. 

In France, a false report that the Arc de Triomphe had been turned into a rainbow art installation went viral and generated similar slurs and calls for execution.

Here in Canada, supporting initiatives like SOGI in schools is likely to get you called a ‘groomer’ by indignant but misguided folks who feel children are being endangered when they aren’t.

And you won’t get very far just telling the people making these claims that they are wrong; after all, very few people have ever changed their minds from being yelled at. But you can engage some critical thinking. You can ask them if this is what they know, what they believe, or what they have been told. When it is the latter, you can simply say, “I don’t think that is actually true.”  or “I think someone made that up. That seems really unlikely.”

Find that common ground! The alleged Million Person March got traction because almost everyone recognizes that children are the future and need to be protected. But they don’t need to be protected against ideas so much as against hatred. In the end, we should all of us want to protect children. So ask; “what is it you want to protect them from?” Or “what is your endgame here? Do you think being gay should be illegal again? Surely you don’t agree with persecuting people because of their differences, do you?”

And when they say parent’s rights are being trampled, you can say, “Can’t children of any age learn about different people in an age-appropraite way?” or, “how does it harm children to learn that some of their classmates might have two mothers instead of a mum and dad?”

And when they say that our 2SLGBTQIA+ family are an affront to God or not worthy of God’s love, we can quietly affirm that “I was taught that God loves all the people they created.” And that we believe God has made them as perfect as the rest of us, like in the psalm we heard:

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
    My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,

I guess I am asking them, do you think God makes mistakes? Do you believe every person who identifies as queer or gay or transexual is some error God made, even as many of these same folks assert to feeling God’s healing presence in their life, and that is despite the concerted efforts of other people of faith who want them to feel dirty, substandard and excluded!? 

Would you tell God, to their face, that they were wrong to do this? Or is it more reasonable to accept that maybe you need a little more time to adjust to some new ideas?

What are your kids going to do in the workforce when they have a coworker who is two-spirited? Or a boss with a same-sex partner? When one of their friends reveals that their child is trans? Will they turn away help from a lesbian paramedic or just curse them under their breath?

Sometimes combatting misinformation isn’t all that hard. Last week, some colleagues in my Teams chat at work were discussing violence at their children’s schools, and one claimed the decrease in civility is because parents are too busy teaching ‘sex stuff’ instead of addressing bullying.  And I know from experience that ‘sex stuff’ is too often a dog-whistle referring to things like SOGI.

Rather than refute their point though, I simply posted, “gonna say that both those things are important,” and a gay colleague immediately chimed in with how, in one of the altercations described, some education could have gone a long way to preventing it.

I am not naive enough to think this person changed their mind, but they heard another perspective and most importantly, they know that more than one person challenged their assertion. I only wish their kids had heard it too!

And it will not always be easy like that - you do not want to engage angry people when they are hotted up. You do not want them to feel threatened. You will want to proceed cautiously around those you love and respect with differing opinions. But asking them to clarify their position when they are acting reasonable can provide some insights.

So much bad info comes from social media. In a perfect world there would be more moderation and supervision of online comments, but the multi-billionaire owners of the various platforms spreading disinformation and misinformation have shown little to no inclination to keeping it in check.

So that leaves us. 

The teachings of Jesus and the scriptures that guide him all encourage us to seek and speak the truth. He asks us to love one another, and to turn the other cheek. And of course reasonable people can agree to disagree. But in the end, we can’t turn our back on those people with other perspectives and let them become more entrenched.

And we don’t have to win, we just have to not give up! Don’t judge, but don’t budge either! Reach people where they are at, and remember to look both ways! Don’t yield any ground to untruths! Speak up in favour of justice and compassion! Say something!

When we say “unite”, we should not mean uniting against folks - we need to unite with people! 

Who knows - maybe we can become a united nation after all. I pray that with God’s help we get there, however long it takes.

Amen

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Psalm 139, 1-6, 13-18

The Inescapable God

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

   you discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,

    and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

    O Lord, you know it completely.

You hem me in, behind and before,

    and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

    it is so high that I cannot attain it.



For it was you who formed my inward parts;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

    Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

    My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written

    all the days that were formed for me,

    when none of them as yet existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

I try to count them—they are more than the sand;

    I come to the end—I am still with you.



In our Gospel reading, we hear Jesus cautioning us on rushing to judgement, as well as sound advice on how to find answers. These are familiar lessons, and yet, how often do we need to be reminded of them before putting them into practice?

Matthew 7:1-12 - Judging Others

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.

‘Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.

‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.'

Ol' Timey Western Actor (And Then Some!)

I like to have a TV show or something similar playing while I paint, and I have been getting enough painting in of late that I have finished the final 3-4 seasons of Brooklyn 99 (uneven, but stuck the landing I'd say) and ended up throwing on some old westerns.

Because my back is to the television, I elevate my iPad and watch them on there - well, maybe watch is too strong a word. My visual focus is typically the model I am painting, and to make matters worse, I need to wear a magnifying visor in order to be comfortable painting just about anything these days. But I can look up and get the sense of scene easily enough before returning to my work, and catch longer bits when I am switching my colours, cleaning my brush or just stretching a bit.

I believe I have mentioned my affection for John Ford's Fort Apache (1948) before, particularly its excellent sergeants, and enjoyed it greatly again before rolling almost immediately to the second movie in Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). It is an even more solid film in some ways than its predecessor, and certainly in its early use of vibrant Technicolor for depicting the landscapes the director was so fond of.

John Wayne, usually content to be a movie star, impressed Ford with his acting ability as Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles, a character 20 years older than the Duke himself, and was quoted as saying "nobody told me the big son of a bitch could act!" Victor McLaglen steals most of the scenes he is in (as usual), but it is Ben Johnson as Sgt. Tyree who stood out the most for me.

Playing an NCO who was once a Confederate officer, several of Tyree's lines jumped out at me, amplified by Johnson's laconic drawl, whether informing a superior officer that a topic was ""not my department, sir," or:

Captain Nathan Brittles: I don't know where you got your brains, Sergeant - God must have given you that pair of eyes. They're Arapahos, alright. Headin' the same way we are. Now why would they be movin' on Sudrow's Wells, Sergeant? Answer me that.

Sgt. Tyree: My mother didn't raise any sons to be makin' guesses in front of Yankee captains.

Looking up Ben Johnson on IMDb and Wikipedia explained the horsemanship displayed in several of his scenes; in addition to having been a stuntman and rider prior to taking speaking parts, he took a break from acting four years after this film and won a world rodeo championship in team roping! 

Johnson went on to start in his own Ford western a year after his cavalry turn in Wagon Master (1950).  A typical oater in most respects, but typically well done by one of the giants of the genre, Johnson (and another actor from Yellow Ribbon, Harry Carey Jr.) play a pair of nomadic horse-sellers who take the job guiding a wagon train of Mormons led by Ward Bond, across the desert to where they plan to establish a new settlement. Of course there are outlaws, challenging terrain and even Navajos to be dealt with along the way. 

Now, the late 1940s was hardly a time of rampant enlightenment in America, particularly regarding indigenous peoples' depiction, and especially in Hollywood, but for my two cents, Ford and his writers do a pretty decent job treating the various tribes his characters encounter with a modicum of respect. In Fort Apache, Henry Fonda's disparaging Col. Thursby is told by John Wayne, "Sir, if you saw them, they weren't Apache," and in Wagon Master, there is this exchange:

Travis Blue: [of the indians] Near as I can figure out, he don't seem to like white men.
Sandy: Yeah, he say's we're all thieves.
Elder Wiggs: Smarter then he looks!
[Sandy speaks Navajo, evidently translating what Elder Wiggs had just said]
Elder Wiggs: Don't tell him that, you fool! Tell him we're Mormans!
[the Navajos speak in their native touge, mutterring "Mormany" repeatedly]
Elder Wiggs: What'd he say?
Sandy: Say's the Mormans are his brothers. Say's they ain't big thieves like most white men. Just little thieves.
Elder Wiggs: Right complimentery, ain't he?

At any rate, Johnson is given sufficient room in the feature to show off his charm, good looks, dry humor, and tremendous horsemanship, and worked again with Ford on Rio Grande to cap off the Cavalry Trilogy. But after standing up to the browbeating director, Ford didn't pick him for another role for over a decade. 

Thankfully other directors like Sam Peckinpah liked what they saw, and ended up casting Johnson in films like Shane, The Wild Bunch, One-Eyed Jacks, and Oklahoma. And not all westerns either - he won an Oscar for his part in The Last Picture Show which I have yet to see. But a World Champion Rodeo buckle, star on the Walk of Fame, and an Oscar make for a pretty impressive c.v. if you ask me!

I also have yet to see Rio Grande, the only one not streaming on Prime Video, and am looking forward to rounding out that trilogy, as well as seeing what other old gems I can unearth from there, and what other fascinating performers I might yet turn up.

"You find yourselves in a tavern...again..." - D&D&D Night

A couple weeks back, Totty posted a seemingly innocuous announcement from Facebook into our Discord chat. It was from Polyrhythm Brewing, a microbrewery close to the habitats of one of our number that many of us have become quite fond of:  

🎶How years ago in days of old When magic filled the air🎶 ⚔️Calling all adventurers⚔️The best quests start in a tavern, so come on down to the taproom October 5 @6pm for some DnD action. We'll be offering free popcorn for all groups playing DnD, and we'll of course have our Thursday $5 Wit special as well. DMs get bonus drink discount as well! We'll have one session for anyone interested in a one shot, but seating is limited so first come, first served! So bring your best pals and favourite dice out to the taproom. Cheers! It took surprisingly little convincing to get a half-dozen of us to actually commit to this, and knowing I had some short adventures, I volunteered to be Dungeon Master (DM) as well.

And then I thought, heck, I might as well roll up the characters on Roll20 since they support printed character sheets now.

And when trying to choose races and classes, I thought, hey, this is a great opportunity to paint some of my many, many unpainted adventurer models!

And among the grey multitudes, in my long-delayed but often appreciated selection from Blacklist Miniatures were many, many adventurers representing the less stature-oriented peoples of the Players Handbook, including a fairly tough-looking halfling monk and a dwarf wizard in a pose highly reminiscent of the Street Fighter video games...

And thus all my friends' character options were under five feet tall.

Jebbedo Glintcassel, Wenryn Flintshadow, Beryl Hawthorne, Balthazar Smeltriver and Daxil Boldhammer

I offered an Inspiration point (free re-roll) to anyone who could come up with a relevant name by consensus with the rest of the group, and with a little prodding from Totty and an accompanying poll, The Half Pints arose as the name of choice (although Five By Five was also in the running, and I myself enjoyed Vertically Challengers quite a bit).

We sent Pete in early to grab a spot, thinking there could be a crowd, but we needn't have worried; there was only one other person there with books, and only one person came to sit with them over the evening, and they either chatted or perhaps rolled up characters, I am unsure. 

This sat well with me, not just because it made it a little quieter and easier to hear my own players, but in all honesty, I was a little apprehensive about playing D&D in a public place for the first time in my life.

That probably sounds a little weird from someone who is not only a proudly self-labeled nerd but also experienced in public speaking and who used to host Mega Battles at the Games Workshops stores he managed on a regular basis. But role-playing games have always felt more... personal. They are a bit theatrical and are at their best when the participants feel comfortable enough to let a few of their inhibitions go.

And not too deep inside this hefty middle-aged bloke is an insecure adolescent hoping that no one notices the comic books and Monster Manual inside his bookbag. I was fully aware of his presence, but still, a bit surprised at his proximity.

Anyhow, I was set up for success to be sure: I had recently purchased a very cool DM's bag so I could easily carry all my books, dice, miniatures, and other accouterments. I was well prepared with a very fun-looking adventure called "Wild Sheep Chase" that had come very highly recommended, and most importantly of all, I had a wonderful group of stout-hearted fellows with me, fully committed to having a good time with some make-believe and some dice.

(And the half-priced drinks for DMs didn't hurt either, I will have you know.)

We ordered some sandwiches and some drinks and got underway about 6:30, learning only later that the taproom closed at 9 pm and last call was at 8:15! Thankfully the lovely staff were very accommodating and let us stay until half-past wrapping up our adventure.

It was a great time wrapped around a silly tale about an arrogant wizard turned into a sheep by his thieving apprentice, and kicked off with a fight in a pub (natch!) as a half-orc thug and the apprentice's guards (polymorphed into wolves and an enormous bear) tried to bring back the escaped wizard.

Despite the close confines of the tavern and the collateral damage spells like fireball would have caused, the Half Pints did manage to best the half-orc and the bear, and prevent the wolves from dragging the sheep out the door - if only just.

The wizard/sheep then led the party to his own absconded tower, where they quickly made short work of the guards polymorphed into apes, but while fighting another bear, the apprentice Noke burst out of the tower riding a fearsome polymorphed creation -  a dragon he had created out of the nearest thing available - his bed! (Tragically we were not able to obtain a miniature for this in time for play, but rest assured, there is one!)

The fight was a pretty decent one, but in retrospect, five 5th-level characters might have been a bit strong for this opposition, even if not played by a smart team that loves tactical thinking, but the real crescendo came when Sean, playing not one, but two unfamiliar roles (rogue and spellcaster as an Arcane Trickster), asked if he could use Mage Hand to snatch away the polymorph wand that had transfigured the wizard (and which I was going to turn on the players next turn).

"Sure," I said, "it will be an opposed sleight-of-hand roll..." as Sean rolled one of his ice-cream-looking dice:

And that roll produced a mighty and fearless cheer if ever you'd heard one.

It did not take long after that to dispatch both the traitorous apprentice and the ersatz dragon he rode, and afterward they were able to successfully use the wand to transform the wizard back to his original form. And he was grateful to be sure but explained he might have overstated his ability to enchant items for the party in exchange for their services. If they could perhaps leave the items in question while he conducted more research...

We cleaned up pretty quickly after and thanked Jason, our server for giving us the extra time to finish up. After the others had left and I waited for my ride (again, half-price drinks for the DM!), we chatted about gaming, and how he hoped a bit more promotion might get more people out when they do D&D&D again.

He asked how often we played, and how we knew each other. I talked about some of the campaigns we'd played in, and about how many of us get together once a year for Gaming & Guinness, and showed him my challenge coin and explained how it works and how everyone there was expected to have theirs on their person. 

I talked about how all of us have made fellowship and gaming a big part of our lives for over a decade and a half, and how grateful I was for this strange opportunity to get together in a public space with these fellows.

Jason nodded, and said, "a friend group like that, it doesn't just happen - you have to make time and space for it, right?"

Abso-friggin'-lutely.

And thanks again to Jason and the folks at Polyrhythm for making it happen -  hope to see more of you there next time around!

Return to the Cold Hot Place

Camping is a strange kind of vacation: more work, more cooking, less comfort than a hotel and you can return home more tired than when you left, but it has been a treat for our household for years, especially when the weather turns cool.

Miette Hot Springs near Jasper has always been one of our favourite mountain spots, but who wants to bathe in a 39° C pool when it is already 27° outside?

Roche Miette, on the way to Jasper

Six years ago in 2017, Glory and I made our first trek to Miette after snowfall. Audrey joined us in 2018, but Frankentrailer gave up the ghost during set-up, so camping was off that year. 

Fenya and Glory and I returned to Miette in Bride of Frankentrailer in 2019, but Covid closed the pool for two years after that (although Glory and I still camped in 2021 because she missed the mountains) and a mudslide destroyed the road earlier this year, so we thought that was that.

But an interview overheard by chance on the CBC revealed that Miette would indeed open in 2023 for its shortest season ever: Labour Day weekend to Thanksgiving Monday. Unable to wait until 2024, we resolved to go, and let Audrey have her first cool-weather camping experience.

Did I say cool? Cold might be more appropriate. It dropped to freezing our first night and went to -3° the next, but we sustained ourselves in numerous ways. A hot breakfast, for one.

A hot spring for another. They are working reduced hours and a reduced capacity as well as a shortened season, so even though we arrived right at opening time (2 pm) it was still more than half an hour before we got in. But this wonderful place has always been worth the drive so what is a 30-minute wait? After a four-year hiatus, the 60 min soak was completely justified.

Even the refreshing cold plunge was invigorating (after a fashion). Mostly just grateful I didn't seize a piston and need to get airlifted out or something.

We saw numerous elk close to town (keep your distance y'all, the rut is on!) and a sole bighorn on our way to Miette from Wapiti campground, but on our way back we got a close look at a black bear munching on foliage in the ditch on Miette Road:

Even more amazing, it turned out the traffic slowing down where Connaught Drive intersects with the Yellowhead was due to an enormous grizzly lounging by the roadside, the closest I have ever been to one.

And even though the second night was cold, our time outside eating hot Tuna Helper (it's true, everything tastes better when you are cold and hungry!) was aided by the roaring campfire Audrey and Glory had set up while I cooked. 

And the little space heater in the Bride managed to keep the chill off long enough for the sleeping bags to warm up and keep us cozy til morning - barring the occasional late-night visit to the washroom, of course.