Escape To Dystopia? - Deathmatch Island

What does it say about our current state of domestic and international affairs that a current form of escapism is for me to pit my friends against each other as amnesiac competitors in a battle-royale-style game show?

In looking for an interstitial game for our online group to play in between chapters of the classic Warhammer FRP campaign, The Enemy Within, I naively suggested I could try running a short campaign of a new game one of the other players had Kickstarted called Deathmatch Island. It is not easily described but "Lost meets Squid Game" comes pretty close.

I was lured in a lot by the layout and design of the rulebook and quality of the artwork. Never before has Helvetica felt so oppressive! Tim Denee has does an awesome job on this book and its supplements.

The game itself has a lot to offer as an interstitial game, for the right group. Even with the players initially cooperating as a team, they are still competing for position and influence, and the game's narrative will eventually lead us into a Prisoner's Dilemma where each and every player must secretly vote to either Play to Win or Break the Game...and you must be prepared for it to go either way!

There is additional weirdness insofar as most TTRPGs have plenty of die rolls to distract you, but DMI (based on the SRD of a Greek warriors' game called Agon) has very few dice rolls, and there are no trivial ones.

After the Production player (the gamemaster, me) rolls a bunch of dice for the opposition and then adds the highest result to the Danger Level of that island or encounter and announces the target number, the party leader (based on the winner of the last round) dictates the goal and approach that will be taken. 

Each individual player then builds a dice pool based on their reputation or name, the chosen skill type, an additional skill type purchased with fatigue, support from other players, their occupation (if applicable) and use of disposable equipment. They roll all their dice, of varying sizes, and add the two highest (plus the highest of the d4s rolled for equipment). 

As you can imagine, this presents a huge range of outcomes with three results: not meeting or beating the target number results in a failure, increasing fatigue and possibly injury. Rolling a total at least equal to the target number is a success and the highest dice roller is the winner of that round, and the new leader.

Only after the dice rolling is done does each player have their "confessional" moment, talking to the camera or audience in turn from the lowest roll to the highest. They explain what they did and how they did it while including the rationalization for things like using their occupation for an additional dice or how they applied the expenditure of something like a weapon or 'small luxuries.'

In between their confessionals, the Production player adds in additional details and results, such as determining what happens to prominent non-player characters. Needless to say, rolling first and describing the outcome only after all the results are in has been a real switch up for most of us, but we are finally beginning to adapt to it!

There are no "plusses" and no re-rolls, just a handful of fickle, fickle dice.

Tim Denee has also done a marvelous job adapting his material to the Roll20 virtual tabletop, his preferred (and my most commonly used) medium for playing RPGs. Purchasing it (as our player did, bless you again, sir!), gets you fantastic looking maps and doodads, handouts and pre-set dice macros with marvelous looking results.

Add to that animated backdrops, 'rollable' maps that can switch from "public" to "classified" with a couple of mouseclicks, a 14-track musical soundtrack and assorted sound effects, and even a diehard math rocks and miniatures aficionado like myself can be swayed.

Not a game for everyone, certainly, and I have no way of knowing how the endgame will sort out, but having just cleared Island One, we are all looking forward to whatever's next!

And thanks to our benefactor generously gifting shirts based on the in-game uniform to us, we will also look good doing it!

All's Fair? - Warfare, Reviewed

Talking to my nephew after we had just seen the film, he was amazed when I told him that not only does Alex Garland's movie Warfare not have any score whatsoever, it only has a runtime of 95 minutes. This led me to observe that if larger movies like Black Hawk Down are like juice, Warfare is more like concentrate. 

Where BHD focused on the Battle of Mogadishu to illustrate the realities of modern war, Warfare is described as "a love letter from co-director Ray Mendoza to Elliot Miller, who after the traumatic events of the Ramadi Operation doesn't remember what happened to him."

Following a lead-up that begins as routine and boring but begins to ratchet up intensely, the majority of the film is a real-time recollection of an attack and casualty evacuation during one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq War, the Battle of Ramadi.  

Viewers are immediately embedded with a platoon of Navy SEALs tasked with setting up an observation post and sniper team in support of a larger operation. A team effort that involves a nighttime infiltration, building security, aerial reconnaissance, intense observation through a rifle scope and tremendous tedium - until it doesn't.

The most astonishing thing about the movie is what it doesn't contain; in addition to a total absence of score (only two songs bookend the film), there are almost no personal moments or talk about what is going on back home, or post-mission plans and the like. No one gets a monologue to discuss the value or worth of their taks, or the Iraq theatre in general. There is very little in the way of banter or memorable lines, outside the stream of jargon and radio chatter as these young men go about their jobs in a manner that exemplifies competence porn - until it doesn't. 

It's kind of a shame in some ways, given the excellent cast they have to work with: Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3), D'Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai (Reservation Dogs), Cosmo Jarvis (Shogun), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things). Despite how little they have to work with at times, they and the entire cast do a remarkable job depicting their focus not only on the mission at hand, but each other, and the degradation of their entire situation. The movie opens with a dialogue-free scene of the platoon listening to music together - one of the few lighter moments in the film - and the directors and cast make the most of humanizing characters that will soon be virtually unrecognizable under not only helmets and goggles, but also dust, blood and emotion.

Many people will find the lingo virtually incomprehensible, and at no point does a character request paraphrasing or a subtitle appear to give context to the audience. (Hell, I enjoy that kind of stuff and understood less than two thirds fo what I heard.) This is purely by design - Garland (Civil War, Annihilation) and Mendoza are striving less for a dramatization and more of a reenactment, hence the stripping away of familiar elements like a score. The context and tone makes it easy enough to follow, even without the details we may be used to from other movies.

The filmmakers do a great job of depicting military monotony laid over a foundation of apprehension, and the surprising swiftness with which the SEALs find their disposition changing - all without narration or a comprehensive understanding of the larger picture. When the environment descends entirely into chaos, the sound design assaults you with explosions as well as the muted deafness that follows. When the wounded scream, it is not just the sound of actor conveying intense pain, but also terror and uncertainty, and it is hard to listen to - again, by design.

CBC reviewer Jordan Weaver took exception to this approach, but the people I saw Warfare with appreciated the opportunity to witness a depiction that is entirely cinematic in some ways, but decidedly untheatrical in others. It feels less like a movie in places and more like time travel, a chance to be a fly on the wall and bear witness to a single hour that changed the lives of so many who were there.

In the end, while I might think of Black Hawk Down as a stronger movie overall, Warfare is probably the most realistic war film I have ever seen, and I am extremely glad I saw it in a theatre.

_________, in the Blue Room, with the Knife - The Residence, Reviewed

Netflix's The Residence scratched a lot of itches for me, including the need to periodically binge a series, which I didn't even know I had.

But near the end of our Spring Break staycation, Audrey and I were looking for a show to watch, and the trailer had come up in my recommendations. As luck would have it, Fenya arrived back at home from an outing just before we sat down to watch the first of eight episodes before dinner on Saturday night.

We watched four more before going to bed and resolved to watch the remainder the following night, which we did.

The high-concept of "a murder, but in the White House" was enough to pique my interest, being a fan of shenanigans at 1660 Pennsylvania since The West Wing back in the day. I've never watched a Shondaland production before, but have heard great things about Bridgerton and Shonda Rimes alike, so that felt promising.

The story revolves around the murder of the White House's Chief Usher, A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito, who appears to be in everything now, and replaced Andre Braugher after his tragic passing) whose body is discovered in the Games Room on the same night as a state dinner for the Prime Minister of Australia. Consulting detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is summoned from her planned bird-watching expedition, and has to deal with not only a seemingly impossible murder but all the political angles including an incredibly hostile Chief of Staff (Ken Marino) and an FBI agent (Randall Park) resolutely endeavouring to be useful but earning little more that exasperated tolerance from Cupp.

As murders go, it is a doozy, and switching perspectives from the events of that night to a senate inquiry months after the fact (chaired by former real-life Senator Al Franken!) puts an intriguing spin on it. But like the title says, the big seller here is the setting. From the sets themselves to the shots moving in and out of a meticulous model of the residential wing of the White House, I would still be inclined to believe you if you told me it had been shot on location. A former White House staffer gave them details about the areas that have never been photographed, and there are many details that give the entire affair a considerable veneer of credibility.

Of course, having all the legendary rooms, many of which are named for their dominant colour, come up in a murder mystery so often, the Clue comparisons are there for the taking as well.

Even if the setting has no interest to you, the amazing array of characters and the manner in which they drift in and out of the prime suspect box as the series progresses is similarly top rank. The quirks are maybe amplified as befits a murder-mystery comedy. The feuding chefs, one from a Michelin-starred Swiss resort, the other from a food truck in Portland are just two of several great examples.

Most critically of all, did they stick the landing? I definitely think so, yeah - enough so that Fenya and I may rewatch it just to make sure!

I'm not gonna lie; at this point in time, the idea of a murder in the White House is maybe a bit more compelling to people than it would've been, say 12 months ago? But whether you ration it out or binge it like we did, anyone who liked Knives Out or wants to explore a more profane take on Agatha Christie would do well to check out The Residence.

A Real Gem - Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, Reviewed

I can't recall how but a few years back I stumbled across an excerpt from the Hans Zimmer concert film Live in Prague (2017). It featured some of the most dramatic music from Christopher Nolan's Batman film, The Dark Knight, and was filmed like a rock concert in an arena, with multiple cameras and moody, dynamic lighting. Not long afterwards our whole household watched the concert in its entirety and enjoyed it immensely.

We've returned to it periodically and screened it for visitors a few times and everyone seems to have enjoyed it, and it has yet to become tiresome despite mupltiple vieweings. So when I learned that a new Hans Zimmer concert movie was being released to a handful of theatres, I was very grateful that Audrey and I were able to go to a Sunday matinee showing.

Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert is as good a concert film as the Prague one (shot in the Dubai Coca Cola Arena), with three music video-style sequences shot in other venues including the desert and the top of the Burj Al Arab. The best part though are the interstitial discussions between Zimmer and a handful of associates: Chris Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Pharrell Williams, Billie Eilish, Johnny Marr and more.

Shot in b&w and in a different aspect ratio, they are so casual and personal that I hesitate to call them interviews. These amazingly frank discussions about the challenges of the creative process, remaining motivated and what it took to get Zimmer on stage the first time ("bullying" by Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr, according to him...) and why he finds himself spending so much time there all come across as honest and unforced.

I was afraid these would be a distraction from the music I had come to hear, but all of these insights enhanced the movie tremendously and entrenched my impressions of Zimmer as not only a brilliant film composer but also jsut a solid, gracious and frankly delightful human. 

My favourite bits were Billie Eilish's producer brother Finneas asking if Zimmer cherry picks the best instruments to play when performing orchestral pieces live, and Johnny Marr (guitarist from The Smiths) marvelling at Zimmer's commitment to live touring, calling this charmingly awkward man a composer with the soul of a rock star.

At another point, Timothee Chalamet calls Zimmer (I believe) the greatest living composer, and it took me out of the film for a bit. 

Like a lot of people my age, John Williams' soundtrack to the first Star Wars album (and the accompanying liner notes!) was my introduction to film scores, and from 12 years old I began paying attention to the credits and film scorers. In addition to his tremendous accolades, including 5 Oscars and an astonishing 54 (!) nominations to date, he has scored some of my favourite films of all time. I mean, just from memory I am thinking Superman, Close Encounters, Raiders, Jaws, and Harry Potter.

In terms of recognizable movie themes, he is likely to be unequalled in my lifetime, while very few of Zimmer's compositions have that innate catchiness or stick in one's memory the same way. But then I asked myself: beyond nostalgia, how many of Williams' pieces have the same emotional impact that Zimmer's does?

While the rest of  Diamonds in the Desert played on (2:38 in total) I found myself catching my breath or dabbing my eyes at various points - of Williams' music, I think only the Schindler's List theme has had the same effect on me.

(I just played it to make sure, and yeah, there is definitely someone cutting onions somewhere in this house.)

The final piece of Zimmer's Gladiator suite ("Now We Are Free") chokes me up in way that has little connection to the bittersweet ending of that movie, and likewise for the intensely powerful "Time" that wraps up Inception. I don't have to think about my own late father to find "He Lives In You" from The Lion King: The Musical so emotionally resonant.

But thankfully there are other emotions to be triggered by Zimmer's repertoire: the building tension of Dunkirk, the fearful apprehension from The Dark Knight's "Why So Serious?", the adrenaline rush of Inception's "Mombasa" chase music.

And while I don't have a lot of time for Zack Snyder's take on my beloved DC superheroes, Tina Guo's blazing cello on Wonder Woman and Guthrie Govan's soaring electric guitar on Man of Steel are still exemplary compositions that clearly depict these legendary characters in my mind's eye as surely as George Perez or Curt Swan drawing them while simultaneously stirring my heart, and are even better live than on a studio recording.

If you are a fan of movies, music, movie music, the people who make movies and/or music or just creative staging and an exploration of the creative process, Diamond in the Desert is worth seeking out. Beyond even his music, Hans Zimmer is a gem beyond compare: warm, gracious, self-effacing and grateful.

Honestly, I think ranking musicians of composers like horses in a race is kind of a rube's game, should I hear anyone else describe him as the greatest living composer, I wouldn't be inclined to challenge them on it.

Vernal Geekquinox 2025: The Good Old Fashioned Days

With the theme being presented ahead of time as "Old Fashioned," I expected things to be a bit more, y'know, liquor-forward at Pete and Ellen's semi-annual dinner party - which would be weird, given that nearly half the guests drink little to nothing at all while the other half tries valiantly to take up the slack.

And sure enough, the eponymous cocktail was on the menu, and the three of us who availed ourselves of it enjoyed it quite a it but I am getting ahead of myself.

Audrey and I always try to dress thematically where we can, with effort and success varying wildly from theme to theme. On this night she nailed it, pairing very well with Ellen, while my own meager efforts (a short sleeved shirt and cold war/Soviet looking tie (celebrating the Beatles "Back in the USSR") paled to Pete's sock garters and shorts ensemble.

The atomic age graphics on the menu make it clear that they were looking for a '50s-era hospitality thang, from delicious vintage cocktails and desserts right through to the main course of succulent roast beef.

Somehow the least exotic menu provided one of the tastiest Geekquinox dinners ever (not that anyone is crazy enough to rank them) and also the best-paced! Even the stuffed celery appetizers had a nostalgic charm. Followed quickly by a hot, sweet, Tom & Jerry - my new favourite warm cocktail - the day looked to be off to a splendid start.

I have never been one to fawn over a devilled egg - until now. The sharp, mustardy richness of the yolks even managed to overshadow the charm of the special plate they were served on, each egg secure in its own concave depression. We all wondered though - was something else meant to go in space in the center? People didn't used to...dip devilled eggs, did they?

While we waited for the main course to finish, Pete asked if I could mix up some Old Fashioneds for those who were interested, which turned out to be Totty, Audrey and I. It is one of those classic cocktails that is so simple and spirit-forward you might wonder why you would bother at all, but the addition of a sugar cube and orange bitters to whiskey (in this case, the Taber corn "Berbon" purchased as a Canadian alternative), adds both sweetness and complexity to the drink. The homemade (!) brandied cherry and orange peel garnish don't hurt either, and it also looks classy as hell when served in Waterford crystal.

One of the many improvements our hosts have introduced is moving the start time to noon, rather than 5 pm. This gives Chef Pete a lot more flexibility and time to chat, but just as critically, prevents the main course being served close to midnight. Those 2:00 am closeouts is hard on these 50-year-olds, but this meant the main course of a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings was coming to the table around half past three - which was perfect.

Pete had put his roast on at a low temperature around seven in the morning (Lord, bless and keep this man!), before searing it outdoors on the grill once the majority of it was medium-rare. A simple rub of salt and pepper gave it a brilliant crust and a main with no teeth at all could have comfortably eaten a generous slice. I actually cut a bite off with the edge of my fork instead of using a knife.

Our host was a bit disappointed with the Yorkshire puddings, which had not raised as he'd hoped, but the lack of fluffiness made them no less tasty. And the mashed potatoes (apparently also known as "Irish guacamole"?) and turnips were also delicious, particularly with the savoury gravy he had prepared. But the cheese-covered broccoli was a real standout, prompting numerous compliments from the guests. This cheese was meant to complement, not conceal!

The shrimp cocktail was left behind as the guests slowly digested their cow, but jsut around the time people were feeling the possibility of the capacity for eating again, Pete presented a plate of rumaki ; bacon-wrapped water chestnuts with seasoned chicken liver, a common treat at Trader Vic's back in the '50s. Very tasty!

Scott had helped slice quite a few onions earlier in the afternoon for soup and by ten pm it was ready to go in the oven and same some cheese and bread baked on to it. I adore French onion soup and have fond memories of ordering it when dining out as a child with my family, in the same style of handled earthenware bowls. Again, the nostalgia competed with the rich savoury broth and tender onions for what had the biggest effect on my happiness, and I ended up calling it a tie.

The final food offering of the night was a classic pineapple upside down cake. This might have been my first time having one and I hope it is not the last. Baking this sweet yellow cake upside down creates an amazing caramelized firmness to the top, while the cake remains moist throughout. Normally I am looking for ice cream, whipped cream or icing by my third bite of any cake but this dessert was a winner.

The Singapore Sling, another tiki classic, this time from Raffles Hotel in Singapore, made its appearance in the form of a nightcap, around 11 pm. Tart, sweet and strong, this mix of gin, cherry brandy and fruit juice was apparently created as a means of letting women imbibe alcohol, which was improper at the turn of the century. Despite having more of these than I should have (did I mention they are tremendously tasty?) the increased acidity did me no long lasting ill effects.

But true to form, the last of us stayed up until nearly one in the morning chatting and catching up - truly the best 'dish' of any Geekquinox. Thanks again Pete and Ellen!

Paneling Pride Vs. Prejudice

I was pretty nervous - I had just watched a very well-done and moving documentary about reluctant gay activist Delwin Vriend called Pride Vs. Prejudice that we had screened at our church for PIE Day, and I was about to introduce a very prestigious panel. I was very gratified when the three panelists laughed at my introductory joke: "A lawyer, a professor, a playwright, a senator, a member of the order of Canada and a drag performer all walk into a church….and it's only three people!"

Kris Wells, Darrin Hagen, Doug Stollery and Yours Truly

The panelists in question were writer, director, and composer Darrin Hagen (familiar to many Edmontonians as a member of  Guys in Disguise), the co-counsel on Vriend v Alberta, Douglas Stollery, and Impact Producer Kristopher Wells.

The Affirming Ministry Team at St. Albert United Church had asked for permission to screen the film as part of PIE Day, an opportunity to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with acts that are Public, Intentional and Explicit. Senator Wells, having spoken at our tenth Affirimiversary back in October, kindly arranged for us to not only show the movie but suggested a brief panel might be a useful educational experience as well.

When we met earlier in the week to talk about the event, some of us were concerned about bigoted individuals perhaps coming in to make a ruckus or disrupt things, but Darrin said he was honestly more concerned about the "I have more of a comment than a question..." people monopolizing the time. In the end we agreed that as moderator I would ask them each a questions or two and try to keep the session around 15-20 minutes.

The film itself is incredible and I highly recommend checking it out when you get a chance. It will undoubtedly end up on some screening service or another after its time on the film festival circuit wraps up, but I fully intend to purchase the BluRay at the earliest opportunity. They are taking the film to festival in Poland shortly, but the film's website also lists screenings like ours if you want to see it sooner.

Even as someone who remembered the headlines from the case at the time, hearing from the people directly involved with the case and its aftermath was absolutely fascinating; hearing Delwin Vriend himself recall being fired from his position at King's College right here in Edmonton for nothing more than being gay is chilling. Hearing how he was denied a hearing by the Alberta Human Rights Commission is infuriating and seeing how passionate lawyers working pro bono took his case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998 is empowering.

Reading about the case and the decision gives you an impression of its importance, but not the struggles and personal impacts along the way:

• Learning that Justice McClung of the Alberta Court of Appeals turned his back on counsel Sheila Greckol while she was making her argument, in a brutal and flagrant display of disrespect.
• Hearing that someone had placed religious pamphlets condemning homosexuality on every seat in the chamber of the Supreme Court before the lawyers.
• Watching former city councillor Michael Phair get emotional as he talks about the death threats he received following the decision, while regressive activists were trying to pressure the PC provincial government and Premier Ralph Klein to invoke the notwithstanding clause. 

A good documentary not only provides clarity, it also produces insight. The best of them provoke an emotional connection to the subject matter or people involved, and at our screening you could hear laughs, applause and tearful sniffles as the story played out over 80 minutes.

Afterwards I got to engage the panel briefly, and I dearly wish I could remember their responses verbatim, but I was just too wound up and excited.

I asked Darrin about his directorial decision to juxtapose the historical clips and modern day interviews of those involved with shots from a queer history bus tour of Edmonton (led in part by none other than Michael Phair) and he confessed it arose in part out of his need (and distaste, apparently!) for shooting 'B-roll' for such projects. Seeing Vriend share parts of his story with people on that bus really underscored the sense of history behind it.

Doug graciously redirected my question about the challenges of working on such a high-profile case as one of the few 'out' lawyers at the time to how much more impacted other people had been, including Phair and Vriend himself. He also talked about the current US President's decision to blacklist legal firms who had represented people he considered enemies (removing their security clearances without cause, among other things), making it riskier to be perceived as being in opposition to him, and making it more difficult for them to get quality legal representation.

But he also took the opportunity to thank the United Church of Canada for seeking intervenor status on the case so that when other faith-based groups tried to assert that 'religions' were not in favour of making sexuality a discernible and protectable human right, the UCC could stand up as the largest protestant denomination of the time and make it clear that this was simply not true.

Finally. Dr. Wells spoke about the timeliness of revisiting the Vriend decision, not only terms of  its 25th anniversary when production started and the 20th anniversary of gay marriage in Canada, but also in light of the recent backsliding for the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly in Alberta. Gay and trans youth have had many supports including gender affirming care moved out of reach, and earlier this week, the unionized City of Edmonton employees announced they had been told to remove Pride flags from Edmonton Public Library properties in a commitment to 'neutrality.'

The senator also tied the need for increased education and activism to our current trade war and annexation situation, generating vocal support and applause when he said, "I never want to see us as the 51st state of anything, do you?"

Well over a hundred people came to our screening, most of whom were not regular attendees at our church, which was gratifying to see. We also had a free will offering with proceeds going to St. Albert Pride in the Park, which will hopefully help them increase its impact this summer after some organizational challenges last year. 

Everyone I spoke to was impressed and moved by the film, with many people asking where they could watch it again; when I find out, I will be sure to post it here.

Before leaving I made sure to let all the panelists know how much we, and particularly I, were that they were able to attend - these are very busy people - and to be such gracious guests! I especially thanked Doug, who, when we were discussing possible panel questions had expressed a preference for one, but gave me a two paragraph explanation for the other just so I would have it.

It is gratifying and reassuring to know that individuals committed to justice and equality and education still exist, and that there are others who can help bring their stories into the public eye.

And gosh, if someone sees Pride Vs. Prejudice and decdes to dramatize it so that even more people can learn about it - so much the better!

Making Room

"It's not that I have given up on wargaming," I said to Audrey, "Lord knows I still have enough models, but boardgaming and RPGs make way more sense from a time and social capital prespective."

"How do you mean?" she queried.

"Wargames can be adapted to play with groups, but they are designed for the most part to be head-to-head encounters between two individuals," I explained. "If I set up a game with someone, I need to prep by putting together an army list, unpack or pack up an army's worth of models, and if I am hosting, deploy a tabletop full of scenery.

"The game itself, including unpacking, chit chat, scenario selection, deployment and re-packing will take a full afternoon or evening at minimum, and while tremendously fun, is only entertaining for two people."

"I think I see the issue..." Audrey mused.

"That's right!" I continued. "I can put the same amount of prep into a role-playing game and that is entertainment for 4-7 other people instead. And even less preparation is needed for a boardgame! There is only so muich free time, and while I still enjoy painting models, I would far rather do it for smaller scale skirmish games or characters and monsters for D&D than units for large armies."

Why did this topic come up? Well, with Fenya moving home from Toronto this month, we need to make a little room around this place for her stuff. As our household's most egregious accumulator, it fell to me to go through a number of boxes in the basement closet, some of which haven't been moved in years.

I was initially resistant to simply giving away some of these items, many of whiuch were rare or represented an expenditure in terms of effort well in excess of their physical value. But in the end, it was helpful to have younger people in my life who I know will put a number of these things to far better (i.e. any) use than I have over the past two decades in this house.

The go-pile

What kind of things? Well...

A bunch of old pressed-foam scenery, including a very cool cemetery

An entire fortress (with unpainted gate house because I had two of these and kept the other one)

Some siege towers with which to besiege the castle (and can you believe it, the little drawbridges still lower when you turn the wheel at the bottom!)

...and siege equipment for both attackers and defenders

Two Formula Waagh racers I converted out of old Ork warbuggies and snotling pump wagons back before Gorkamorka was released

Some unbuilt city ruins for Warhammer 40,000

And despite selling it instead of giving it away, it was still hard to part with this entire Tenth Company/Space Marine Scout Army, still in the wrap and with nearly a kilogram worth of bitz for converting them!

I finihsed going through the closet today and found some non-wargaming goodies that raised some nostalgia but went to a better home, like this electronic Star Wars Battleship-style game:

And when the recipient tells you this was an item on their childhood Christmas wish list for multiple years, it certainly makes the divesting a lot easier to take!

Other things went straight to recycling; old cylinders or movie reel canisters that could have become scenery but failed to actualize, a broken Planet Killer spaceship from Battlefleet Gothic, and over a dozen 80-90% empty spray cans of varnish and paint are headed to the Eco Station.

One of the film canisters also contained an esoteric and nostalgic assortment of bits: a keychain from Terrace BC, a handcuff key, a Canada flag lapel pin, a piece of petrified wood and four miniature badges featuring a beloved comics character.

And since they don't take up much space, some of this gets to stay - at least for now.