All posts by Noob of All Trades

Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.

MTGMKM Miscellany

Introduction

I dedicated this week to the new Magic the Gathering set. In spite of the fact that I told Chris that I no longer wanted to collect cards and went so far as to not order any bundles in Arena, I still like the game and found some cards to enjoy in this set. Yesterday was busy, though, with play practice and swim, so MTGMKM miscellany comes a day late.

Usually in this article, I cover multi colored, colorless, and any lands that capture my imagination. Often, I don’t care much about things like fetches and the sort, so the lands section doesn’t exist. This set, however, brings us an old standard in lands with a new twist.

Surveil Lands

We have tap lands that grant life. We have ones that allow you to scry. They even created lands that come in tapped depending on how many lands you already have on the battle field. Well, this iteration of tap lands allows you to surveil. You can read the card above for an explanation of surveil. While I don’t know how much it will affect competitive decks, graveyard strategies absolutely get a boost from these and I’d probably run them over the scry lands. Plus, they’re basics, so you can fetch.

MTGMKM Mult Colored Honorable Mention (Another Wrath and Two Funny Names)

Private Eye

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I saw an article recently where someone wrote about the sheer number of wrath spells in standard Magic. One of the prominent and well known players put together a deck with only wrath spells and ended up performing pretty well overall in the meta. I just like the flexibility of this one. How can you not love an “X” cost spell that both targets “X” and creates “X”? Finally, people got big mad when WotC announced the change to typal, but it allows for broader definitions like “detective”. Maybe, even though resources are limited, I will try to build a “detective” typal deck.

MTGMKM Card I Love (A New Leyline)

Leylines came out in Guildpact and then fleshed out more over the years. I rarely play any of them, but my latest elf deck has abundance in for the extra mana provided. Initially, I thought nothing of this card, but then I read an article that talked about how much fun it made mono green devotion. That gave me a reason to either craft or try to pull it in Arena. Besides, the dual mana cost provides such amazing utility, too. Just a super fun card overall.

MTGMKM Artifact Honorable Mention (A Puzzle, A Land, and Policing Fun, of course)

Cryptex

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I think I wrote up above about colorless being part of MTGMKM miscellany. However, there aren’t many colorless cards in the deck, so I called and audible and went with artifact instead. I just like the idea of the Cryptex. It provides mana and potential card draw. The Wall lets me frustrate big giant creatures, one of my favorite past times in game. And, the land just gives you another potential card draw source along with flexible mana.

MTGMKM Artifact Card I Love

I actually got to play this card during their introductory event on Arena. It is a super annoying card that with the right build can just annihilate people fairly quickly. Now that I’ve said that, the universe will see fit to pair me with every other person who had the same idea in Arena. They will draw the nuts and show me just how right I am.

The Verdict

MTGMKM miscellany is hella fun. I can see myself playing every card that I picked and several others look interesting as well. I especially want to build the mono green deck in Arena and see how that performs. See you all in Pioneer!

Images taken from Mythic Spoiler.

The Death of Hearthstone?

Introduction

Nothing lasts forever. Father Time is undefeated. Your preferred cliche here to explain the passing of time and impermanence of everything. I mean, I’m even going through another one of my “do I really want to spend all of this money on cards (real or virtual) anymore?” phases. This one feels different, though. Nevertheless, I come to praise and not bury on this the possible Even of the death of Hearthstone.

At times in the past, I’d bury Hearthstone and happily so. Either I grew up, or it became less annoying, or both, because I actually feel melancholy about the possible demise of the old lady. Between rewards tracks and actual enjoyment of Battlegrounds, if the game dies, that puts quite the hole in my daily rotation of games. Whatever will I do? Perhaps update the YouTube page more consistently?

Why the Funeral?

I originally planned this article as an update to the game. The last time I visited Hearthstone, I wrote a quick article comparing the new expansion to the new MTG expansion. Not even a full set of articles for the game and that expansion. And, to be honest, not much has changed. They released a mini set, but there are no other expansions planned right now and their “Year of” update normally gaining steam right now is nowhere to be found.

The company just experienced massive layoffs at the hands of their new owners, Microsoft. Wizards, too, but for some reason Magic the Gathering still looks strong right now. Hearthstone, not so much. Hell, I even typed “Is Hearthstone Dead” into Google to try to confirm my suspicions. No confirmation, but the drums are beating louder if Reddit is any indication.

Esports, on the other hand…

In this case, I will take a victory lap. Call it dancing on the corpses of the content creators and influencers, if you must. If so, please make sure that you call it the sour grapes that it definitely is. Chris and I never believed in the whole esports scene and we are repeatedly being proved right on that front. It’s different to watch Lebron James or Patrick Mahomes do great things and know that you never could. It’s entirely different to watch some rando sling cards and know that, with a little bit of practice, you could pretty much do the same. Apparently, Blizzard stuck a knife in the side of their Hearthstone esports scene and nearly everyone agrees that’s over.

The Verdict

I may be premature in naming the death of Hearthstone. I mean, people still play Doom on a semi regular basis 30 years ago. Even if the game does stop getting support completely from Blizzard, people will still play and they might even pick up the mantle to keep the game going. That’s what seems to happen to the games that I play. They get sold to another company who keeps it afloat for a few years. I guess we’ll truly see in a couple of months when it’s time for the new “year” in Hearthstone.

MTGMKM Gruul Edition

Introduction

I wrote in my previous article that I think I may have stopped collecting Magic the Gathering. I still like to play, but I’m at the point where I can’t justify paying the prices they want for boxes and bundles, especially when they keep reducing the value. Ah, capitalism. Well, this is the first set in a few years that I only bought the Mastery Pass on MTG Arena, too. No packs. Well, everything comes to an end. Not my review articles, though. Join me for MTGMKM Gruul edition.

Those who visit often know that I identify heavily as a blue mage. But, I branched out recently into black mana and a few decks add white for Esper colors. Red and Green often baffle me. Not recently, though. Over the last few sets, I found it easier and more enjoyable to pick the cards for this article.

MTGMKM Red Honorable Mention (Professor Plum in the Study, a fish, and a Dargon!)

Knife

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Not so this time! Not for red anyway. I looked at these cards and looked at these cards and looked again. Then, I picked some old trash for this section simply to have something to write about. They leaned heavily into the “Clue” theme with artifacts that have the same name as the weapons in the game. Also, they went pretty hard with the pun cards in red at least. There’s “Red Herring”, but there’s also “Frantic Scapegoat” and the art is a literal goat. I picked the dragon in honor of Chris.

MTGMKM Red Card I Love (Doing Red Things)

I genuinely love this card, though. Empty your hand of spells, cast this in disguise, turn it, and refill your hand. While only a common, this card does what red does and it does it amazingly well. Granted, it ends up being a little bit expensive, even at the lowest disguise cost. Still, I see this thing getting quite a bit of play.

MTGMKM Green Honorable Mention (Surprise Tree Attack, Flashy Enchantment, and Fantastic Mr. Ferox)

Hide in Plain Sight

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The green cards came a little easier to me. I immediately picked my favorite card and then focused on some other cards that changed the narrative on some of the mechanics in the set. The trees come out “cloaked” instead of disguised. The Ferox requires your opponent to collect evidence (a mechanic I haven’t discussed yet, but the card explains the card) to target it and the enchantment is just a fun little surprise to pull on your opponent.

MTGMKM Green Card I Love

Hey, look, another card that lets you play lands recursively from the graveyard. This one will find a home in my Landfall commander deck. I feel like I’m saying that a lot lately. But, what do I cut in order to fit all these new cards in? Come back later and maybe I’ll write an article about it in the next month or so.

The Verdict

Some things are back to normal with MTGMKM Gruul edition. I found no synergy with the red cards this time other than the goblin. Then, I picked a card for my Landfall deck and it gave me an idea to take a look at that deck again. Come back in a couple of days for the rest of the cards.

Images taken from Mythic Spoiler.

Marvel SNAP February 2024: Black Order

Introduction

Let me get this out of the way and diminish my nerd cred further. I have no idea who or what the Black Order is. Even after a quick look at the Wikipedia page, I have no idea. Oh well, it won’t stop me from bringing you my thoughts on the latest update in the game Chris once called “War with additional features.”

New Locations

Neither of these locations wow me as much as some others in the past. I do like the idea of getting a random 6-cost card from my “Ones” deck, so that will be nice when I play that one. Independently, the Infinity Stones can either be game changing or a complete whiff. Like the actual stones, their real power comes from playing all of them and getting the buff on Thanos as a result. So, I will most likely curse that location when it shows.

New Characters

Proxima Midnight

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When this is discarded, jumps to your lowest-Power location. (that isn’t full)

Nope. Not even seeing the cards brings any recognition. I have no idea who any of these people are. Luckily, I don’t need to know who they are in order to play the cards. And, I will play Black Swan and Cull Obsidian without a doubt in my “Ones” deck. I don’t play discard very much, as I mentioned in the previous article about Marvel SNAP. So, I doubt that I will prioritize Corvus Glaive or Proxima Midnight unless I get a quest for discards. I like the idea of Supergiant in an reveal deck and it also sets up a pretty cool Hela in the right discard deck.

The Verdict

I’m not as excited about the Black Order update as I was Planet Hulk. Granted, not knowing the characters or story diminishes my enjoyment some. But, also, the cards and locations aren’t as much fun, either. Plus, next month is X-Men vs. Avengers and I’ll be looking forward to that. I still plan on playing enough to get all of the goodies. See you in game, SNAPers.

Note: Images taken from Marvel SNAP Zone.

MTGMKM Esper Edition

Introduction

I texted Chris the other day and said, “As much as it pains me, I think I’m done buying cards for collection alone. The boxes are just becoming too expensive and there’s other things I would rather spend my money on.” I still enjoy the game. I included the caveat that some of the money would go to singles for my decks. And, also, in service to all of you, I continue my set reviews. Welcome, then to MTGMKM Esper edition.

With all of that said, I paid no attention to the spoilers for this set. Chris and Jason both agreed. Jason said that the names are getting more and more ridiculous. Maybe, he just mentioned the setting. Chris said something about not liking the mechanics. I think he called them “goofy”. But, I looked at the cards and made my choices. Tell me what you think.

White Cards Honorable Mention (Removal, removal, recursion)

Call a Surprise Witness

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You all know how much I love a wrath. And this one comes with upside if you control the most creatures in the game. Not tough to do if you’re playing mono white tokens. You may not know, but I’ve become enamored with instant speed targeted removal, too. Something about it just makes me giggle. The last card, while sorcery speed, allows you to cheat the system some if playing Tiny Leaders or White Weenies in EDH. You can bring your commander back once without paying the penalty.

MTGMKM White Card I Love (Speaking of White Weenies)

This card takes a traditionally green mechanic and slaps it onto a white card. It further warps that mechanic by allowing you to pull a small creature from the top of your deck instead of a land. This card is just waiting to be abused in commander with the right deck.

MTGMKM Blue Honorable Mention (A New Mechanic, Stun, and What Library?)

Bubble Smuggler

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Disguise looks like morph or manifest. But, it gives the token ward, which is a nice touch. That makes it slightly more persistent and able to be flipped on a later turn. The stun card both bypasses any counter ability, including the aforementioned ward. It also gives you two turns to find an answer instead of one. Lastly, the Living Condundrum is just a silly card.

MTGMKM Blue Card I Love (Your Card is My Card Now)

That triple blue is steep and this probably won’t see play outside of commander, but I’ve been surprised before. I just like the idea of combining this with some targeted removal on their huge threat and using it against them. Sure, there are more efficient ways of accomplishing that, but certainly not as fun.

MTGMKM Black Honorable Mention (Another New Mechanic, Flash Enchantment, and “Oops, Pow, Surprise!”)

Case of the Stashed Skeleton

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The case cards looks similar to the Saga cards and I mistakenly thought they were the same, but the trigger is different. Not sure how I feel about them. The other enchantment brings some interesting possibilities in my wildest dreams. The last card just brings instant speed removal in a different form. Plus, the added lifelink and investigate feels like overkill on a one mana card.

MTGMKM Black Card I Love (It’s a Killer)

Massacre Girl came out after a similar card hit Hearthstone. I remember when I saw it and immediately thought of that card. It takes on a slightly different flavor in this one and brings back wither. Plus, that flavor text is simply amazing.

The Verdict

The cards in the MTGMKM Esper edition, overall, are underwhelming. Some cards are fun and I can see myself playing them. But, I think my decision to stop purchasing for collection came at the right time. Come back in a couple of days to see how red and green compare.

Note: pictures taken from Mythic Spoiler.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar

Introduction

Facebook adverts got me again. I often like to think that I’m immune to advertising. And, most of the time, I am. However, every now and then, the targeting bastards get me and I throw some money at an impulse buy. So, when I saw that they offered two instruction booklets and two sets of Warhammer armies for only 7 bucks, I pulled the trigger. The actual price for each successive shipment for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is around 80 bucks. So, not insignificant, but still a good deal for what they offer.

What Do They Offer? (Part 1)

Well, if you want to check it out yourself, you can go to their web page and see. But, we try to go above and beyond whenever possible here at 2 Generations Gaming. As such, I’m going to show you what came in the first shipment. Then, each month, as I work my way through the new box, I will update with the new stuff. Already, I’m excited for this series.

The first models and source book

I took Thursdays as my miniature day. I missed one day, so it took me three weeks to assemble the first two sets of miniatures. Then, I played through the scenario this afternoon to get some pictures of the actual set up and battle. The orc ended up coming from behind with a scorching 3 damage turn and finished off the priestess on the next turn. If he hadn’t, she most likely would have taken the win the turn after.

Character Traits for Knight Arcana

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Rolling a d6 to determine her destiny

What Do They Offer? (Part 2)

The second set of miniatures and source book.

I messed up a couple of these miniatures while taking them off of the holders and assembling them. Luckily, I had my trusty glue and that allowed me to fix them quickly and easily. As you can see, I still haven’t painted them, but that’s coming. I know, I know, just adding to my pile of shame. But I have my schedule now, so perhaps I can dig into this one like I did my Lego pile. I have only 2 more models to build there.

The second source book added armor saves to the battle. I only played through one round of combat to show the difference. But, now that I’ve played this one and the tutorial for the Starter set, it makes me want to play even more. By the end of the year, with the assistance of the subscription, I will no doubt be an expert noob of the game.

Armor Save

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Not so fast, fellas!

The Verdict

The Warhammer: Age of Sigmar subscription is pricey. I won’t lie to you and say it isn’t. 80 bucks a month is a bit of a non-starter for many of you, I’m sure. But, if you’ve ever wanted to get into Warhammer, it is one of the cheaper price points out there. Nothing says you can’t join and then quit after a couple of months. I intend to keep my subscription for as long as I can afford it and build this army to its fullest.

2024 NFL Conference Championships Celebration

Introduction

Over the weekend, I filled some time and virtual space with a quick article about the NFL championship weekend. I mainly wrote because I put a dime on the Ravens at the beginning of the playoffs at plus 140 to win the AFC Championship and wanted to see if my bet paid off. I should have known better. Used to be don’t bet against Tom Brady. Now, it’s definitely don’t bet against Patrick Mahomes. Chris reiterated this with his text after the game, “So this is how people felt about the Pats, eh?” No spoilers, but with the Lions loss, too, this 2024 NFL Conference Championships Celebration might feel a bit muted.

AFC Championship: Chefs Humiliate the Rats

I knew early that I needed to hedge that Ravens bet. They answered quickly to the first Chiefs touchdown, but they looked clearly outmatched in this game. At halftime, I texted Chris, “Looks like the Chefs were playing dead before the playoffs.” He agreed and I put in a parlay with the Chiefs and 49ers to win.

The thing is, I’m not unhappy because I can’t stand the Ravens otherwise. Additionally, I love Mahomes and Andy Reid started to grow on me with the State Farm commercials. Besides, Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl might just break parts of the internet. So, I am honestly happy with the outcome of the game.

I think that most of my malaise came from the participants in the game. Last week, I convinced myself that the NFL wrote the script for the Bills and Lions to finally break through and bring a first-time winner bowl. Alas, they teased me with the Lions and ripped the hearts out of Bills fans once again.

I texted the group chat, “Dear God, the curse of Buffalo continues.”

NFC Championship: How to Frame this Game?

I only checked the score every now and then, so I have no idea what actually happened in this game. Chris texted me early, “Detroit showed up to play” and I considered hedging my earlier parlay when I saw the 14-0 score. I figured I’d just let it ride for now because something told me that things might just turn around.

Sure enough, the 49ers came roaring back and led by 10 late. Detroit scored a late touchdown but didn’t get the onside kick for a chance at the game tying field goal. Whenever you have one of these games, you need to ask yourself, “What happened?” Detroit puckered in the big lights? San Francisco just enforced their championship pedigree?

I just read the ESPN article about the game and it looks like a little bit of both. Frisco won doing what they do best. Detroit lost because they failed to do what they do best. And, so, an easy narrative (so loved by our internet culture) is insufficient to explain the game. As Brock Purdy said, “That’s just football.”

The Verdict

I wrote about last year’s Super Bowl that Patriots fans are starting to become self aware about them and their team. With the recent Chiefs success, they were quite confused. I hate that team, but I kind of enjoy what they’re doing. I’m not there yet with the Chiefs, but I am experiencing some fatigue surrounding the team. And, so I apologize that this 2024 NFL Conference Championships Celebration is muted. Besides, as Dad always said, “Don’t bet on a game where the ball bounces funny.”

Note: All teams and the single logo used on this web page are the property of the NFL. They are used without consent (written or otherwise), but only in good fun. If you’re feeling litigious, please refrain from throwing your vast legal resources at this small page that caters to my kids, Chris (Hi Chris!) and about 25 Russian bots (Hi Sergei!).

2024 NFL Conference Championships Countdown

Introduction

Way back in January of last year, I covered the Super Bowl from a fan standpoint and one of a potentially degenerate gambler. While I never developed the gambling habit, I still enjoyed parts of this season and the text chains that Jason, Chris, and I wrote in response. In the past, I covered every round of the playoffs. Sometimes I forgot and only wrote about the Super Bowl. This year, inspired by the Lions and their unlikely appearance and my dime that I put on the Ravens at +140 at the beginning of the playoffs, I’ll take some time to talk about the 2024 NFL Conference Championships.

2024 NFC Conference Championship: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

Why I’d root for the 49ers: They just get shit done. In spite of the hype about the Eagles at the beginning of the season and the Cowboys at the beginning of the playoffs, here they are again with a chance to play in their 8th Super Bowl and their 3rd in the last ten years. Plus, how can you not root for an underdog quarterback taken late in the draft. Unless his name is Tom Brady. Eff that guy.

Why I’d root for the Lions: I mean, isn’t this one obvious? Other than the Browns and Bills and, maybe even including them, the Lions fans are some of the most long suffering in the league. They had Barry freaking Sanders for 10 years and were only able to win one playoff game in that time. I mean, before the Bills had their hearts ripped out again, I wanted Detroit and Buffalo for the first time winners bowl. Alas, we can still get the Lions.

2024 AFC Conference Championship: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

Why I’d root for the *dry heave* Ravens: The bet. Really, that’s it. Eh, I guess I kinda like Lamar, too. Otherwise, screw the zombie Browns.

Why I’d root for the Chiefs: Those who frequent the page often know there’s only one answer to this one, too. Mahomes. Literally, that’s it. I still love the guy in spite of everything and refuse to join the mob that builds people up just to tear them down. Okay, I do kinda like the Kelce/T-Swizzle storyline, too. I mostly just like how upset it makes big tough football dudes.

The Verdict

The 2024 NFL Conference Championships are much less interesting without the Bills. But, I do have the dime on the Ravens and the hope that the Lions can pull off the win against the 49ers. Come back after the games for our post mortem and then the Super Bowl preview.

Note: All teams and the single logo used on this web page are the property of the NFL. They are used without consent (written or otherwise), but only in good fun. If you’re feeling litigious, please refrain from throwing your vast legal resources at this small page that caters to my kids, Chris (Hi Chris!) and about 25 Russian bots (Hi Sergei!).

Deck of Many Things Python Code

Introduction

I think I mentioned in my post a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to try to write a Deck of Many Things Python program. You’ll just have to click the link and give me another page view if you want to know for sure. Muahahahahah! In any case, I finally got a chance to sit down and start to put together some code for the project.

I’m not one for resolutions. However, I looked through my Google calendar and talked with ChatGPT about a way to schedule my hobbies so that I have time each day to work on them. Lego and Puzzles on Tuesday, miniatures on Wednesday. That sort of thing. Thursdays were supposed to be coding, but I only actually finally got around to sitting down and playing with it this morning.

The Code

Python
import random

deck = ["Construct", "Balance", "Comet", "DonJon", "Euryale", "Fates", "Flames", "Fool", "Gem", "Jester", "Key", "Knight", "Moon", "Puzzle", "Rogue", "Ruin", "Sage", "Skull", "Star", "Sun", "Talons", "Throne", "Void", "Tavern", "Mine", "Expert", "Maze", "Map", "Mage", "Lance", "Humanoid", "Giant", "Fiend", "Fey", "Elemental", "Dragon", "Door", "Crossroads", "Corpse", "Celestial", "Cavern", "Campfire", "Bridge", "Book", "Beast", "Aberration", "Monstrosity", "Ooze", "Path", "Pit", "Plant", "Priest", "Prisoner", "Ring", "Shield", "Ship", "Staff", "Stairway", "Statue", "Temple", "Tomb", "Tower", "Tree", "Undead", "Warrior", "Well"]
orientation = ["Upright", "Reversed"]

random.shuffle(deck)
print(deck[random.randint(0,len(deck))])
print(random.choice(orientation))
print("Find the card in The Deck of Many Things")
print("Card Reference Guide for an interpretation.")

The Output

The Verdict

I admit that the Deck of Many Things Python code isn’t much right now. But, this is my first time planning and implementing code that wasn’t already written. So, for a first attempt, I think that I did a pretty good job and it does what I wanted the early version to do. Going forward, I want to add the interpretation for each card to remove the need for the book. I also want to add an option for other card spreads further down the line. Eventually, I want to make it visual and maybe turn it into an app. Keep an eye on the page for updates.

One Last Note

I just got the idea to include the page number with the card to make referencing the guide easier. I’m very excited for everything that’s coming with this project.

Trucking Around California

Introduction

Okay, you got me. This isn’t technically a new game for the new decade. Hell, you can even argue that it isn’t new to us. After all, I wrote a few months about my then obsession with Euro Truck Simulator 2. And, honestly, much that I said there can be said about this game. Still, in the interest of keeping the site as active in spite of everything else, I went trucking through California.

As you can see from those screenshots, the game obviously differs in style and theme from the European one. You know from one to the other that you’re in a different country. However, the fundamentals more or less remain the same. You drive a truck. In the American western states. Admittedly, I’ve only played it a couple of times to confirm that, but the driving bug hasn’t hit me again just yet. Stay tuned.

Starting Over

I can’t be 100% sure about this, but part of the reason might be because I already completed so much of the European version of the game. I bought my own truck, worked back from debt to buy another, took out a loan to buy a third and fourth, and hired three drivers.

That makes going through the process again a little tedious. Especially when there’s no hook to keep me coming back. California is great and all, but out of all of the United States, it’s honestly at the bottom of my list of ones I want to visit. I think I might have purchased some DLC (at actual cost because my key got stolen from my Humble account before I changed all my password) for the game, but the only state I saw that you started was California.

I tried picking Bakersfield as my starting city to get that hook. I also picked it because I am still perpetually an angry teenager that pines for the old days of “Nu Metal” or whatever they called it in the beginning. Oh, speaking of music, they give you a different choice of radio stations in the game, too.

The Verdict

I enjoy Euro Truck Simulator 2. After trucking through California, I no doubt will like this game, too. I just need to take some time to dig deeper into what it has to offer. Oh, I just saw they have an Oregon and Washington DLC available. Next pay check, I’ll pick those up and