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.
Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Honor Among Thieves: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

I said it before. If you told 11 year old me that within my lifetime, they’d make comic book, video game, and Dungeons and Dragons movies respectable and profitable, I’d never have believed you. Sure, I’d want to time travel into this magical future. But, I’d also scoff in my usual teenage way. We grew up in a time where super hero movies got barely B-level treatment and the best cinematic version of Dungeons and Dragons was animated. Certainly nothing on par with the movie, Honor Among Thieves.

And don’t even get me started on Mario and Luigi at the theater. Mama Mia!

I started watching the movie a week or so ago while visiting a small Twitch streamer. For some reason, I switched to Ready Player One in the middle of the movie. I remember Aiden saying that he enjoyed Ready Player One and my ADHD pushed me in that direction. Then I got the idea to make this month’s theme (with no banner again!) Spring into Gaming and Pop Culture. My trademark honesty incoming. I played so little games recently, that I made up for it with pop culture to keep the page running. Comic books took a week. Hearthstone filled in nicely with the new BG update and a post about buying a new Switch. I think that last one maybe gave away that I ran out of ideas this month. But, Ready Player One lifted me out of the funk with a discussion of Tomb of Horrors. Then two of my kids saw GotG 3 without me and I remembered Mario and Dungeons and Dragons. May wheezes to the finish line with some pop culture reviews.

The Decent

Owlbear – Relax, I haven’t gone full purist on you here. I refuse to complain about anything when it comes to this movie. Are there things I enjoyed more than others? Sure. But, I already spoke of the horrors of nerd pop culture from my youth. The fact that they made this movie and brought Dungeons and Dragons to life for me is enough. And, yes, technically, even though it technically goes against the rules of the game, it fits with the spirit of the story. The first rule I learned about D&D is have fun. Well, a druid that can wild shape into an Owlbear is hella fun.

Roll for initiative.

Fat Dragon: I love that in a movie called Dungeons and Dragons, we get both a dungeon and a couple of dragons. But, more on that in the “Great” section. With most of the stuff I didn’t understand because of my unfamiliarity with the source material, I Googled and one of the first results answered my question, “Why is that dragon so fat?” I wanted a murderous hell machine bent on death and destruction of entire villages. Not some chonk too fat to leave his own lair. But, I searched and got some satisfaction from the back story I found.

Forgotten Realms: Look, I get that the Realms are D&D and that most people get their introduction to the game through them. But, I’m not about that life. Dragonlance introduced me to the game and that still resides at the top of my list of what I consider pure and true D&D. So, feel a little let down by the choice of setting. Nevertheless, I also understand that Forgotten Realms lends itself better to generic protagonists, too.

Good

Backstory: I put this one first because I went back and forth between putting this one here or in “Decent”. I ultimately decided that I liked having the stories repeatedly told in Honor Among Thieves so that I didn’t need to Google more than I already did.

I Googled Honor Among Thieves so hard, it took me back in time.

Forge: Look, I understand that some DMs enjoy the double cross and big twist reveal towards the end of the adventure to blow everyone’s mind. Honestly, some like it so much that they always go that route when designing and telling an adventure. I also respect that choice. However, I also rolled my eyes pretty hard when it became apparent that Forge double crossed everyone (spoiler alert) and I thought they set him up as the “boss” of the encounter. They redeemed themselves somewhat by making the evil red mage (spoiler alert) the actual final encounter.

Humor: Some fans, especially MCU fans recently despair at the amount of humor in the movies. I rarely understand these criticisms by purists, but I especially find this one confusing. First, an aside. Chris went to play Old School Magic the Gathering with a friend. He told me a story about a guy he played against that got so offended by seeing “new” lands that he gave him a set of old Swamps to play with. I replied, “You’re a more patient person than me. I’d have told him to shut up and play.” Now, aside from showing what a rotten person I am, this illustrates that I just believe that life is too short to waste it worrying about such nonsense. I like to laugh. The humor in these movies never feels “forced” as the nerds like to say. It just makes me laugh and enjoy the movie more.

Great

I Know That! To be expected in such a movie, but they put all sorts of Easter Eggs in Honor Among Thieves for those of us who play the game. You know I like a good lore rabbit hole and this one had me in one of those the entire time. In addition, I found myself smiling when the red mage case meteor swarm or I realized that Simon has a bag of holding. I love when the creators love the thing that they’re creating.

Arena Battle: Along those same lines, I thought I might not enjoy the arena battle towards the end of the movie. As a DM, I dread running large scale battles like that. However, since playing Warhammer and getting a better sense for how they handle large armies, I think that will be less of an issue going forward. In any event, I liked the battle because they made it more of a corridor crawl and because of what I just said. Oh, that’ s a displacer beast. Hey! A gelatinous cube!

Dungeons and Dragons: I already mentioned this, but it bears repeating. In a movie named Dungeons and Dragons, I appreciate that they kept true to the title and gave us both a dungeon and some dragons. I see another dimension where they tried to make the movie more appealing to wider audiences and I’m glad they kept the movie for the fans.

The Verdict

Honor Among Thieves met my expectations. I won’t say it exceeded them. Because I heard good things going in, I expected good things. And, they gave me good things. Hell, I liked it so much, I’m not even going to give you the old, “Sure, it had flaws…” speech. I just want to finish this article by telling you again how much I enjoyed it. If you haven’t already, watch it. You will have fun.

On the Tabletop

Tomb of Horrors First Impression: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

I know what you’re thinking. How have I played Dungeons and Dragons for literally over 30 years and only now be giving my Tomb of Horrors First Impression? Well, let me explain, Judgy McJudgyPants. I started playing with 2nd edition of AD&D. Sure, I bought the release of the “Rules Cyclopedia” with the Dungeons and Dragons brand on it, but I never actually played any of the original content.

So, when Wade finds out that Halliday hid the first key in the actual Tomb of Horrors from Dungeons and Dragons, I started to feel the germination of an idea in the recesses of my brain. It took another couple of chapters for that idea to fully bake and grow, but eventually I came away with what I thought might be a great idea. So, I went on a search for the module.

Surprisingly, I found it easier than expected. Seeing that Gary Gygax first wrote the module in 1975, I thought I might have to pay an exorbitant amount on eBay. Either that or pirate a PDF via one of the file sharing web pages out there. My respect for the game and Mr. Gygax is too great for the latter and my respect for myself is…hold up, let me check eBay to see what I’d have to sell my respect for…69.65? On second thought, maybe I don’t have that much respect for myself. Relax, I resisted buying it, for now. But, that’s only because I discovered that, because 5e represents a renaissance for the game, they republished the module in one of their recent collections.

Structure of the Review

I plan to split the review into three sections; right out of the box, the nitty gritty, and where next? In the first section, I plan to cover the title, setting, hook, and map layout. The second section gets into the plot, encounters, and creatures. Finally, after a discussion of loot and resolution, I intend to talk about paths forward after finishing the module.

Tomb of Horrors First Impression: Right Out of the Box

Title: At first glance, simple and effective. You know exactly what to expect from the module from that title. It follows unwritten (?) D&D convention of naming things “something” of “something else”. Hall of the Storm Giants. Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Tales of the Outer Planes. That kind of thing. Looking at a list of the modules, I guess fewer titles actually adhered to that standard. But, I’m keeping it in. In short, solid title. Rating: Good, but only because I prefer flashier titles.

Setting: As I said with the title, it tells you exactly where you will be spending your time. In a Tomb of Horrors. Expect whatever your mind’s eye conjures when you hear such a thing. Undead? Yep. Potentially deadly traps? Check. Dungeon Crawling one square at a time because the next may bring doom to your party? That’s there, too. Rating: Great, but like most Dungeons and Dragons adventures, it depends on the story telling skill of your Dungeon Master.

Hook: The edition I have (5e) gives a Legend of the Tomb, which explains all of what I talked about up above. It also tells some of the story of the final encounter including the set up that he is nigh invincible. They also write the truth behind the legend as some background information. Finally, they offer some examples of where to place the tomb depending on your campaign and a guide to run the adventure including a prologue on how to start. Rating: Good, but I like to fill in with my own story when I run these things. I like the additional information even if I don’t plan to use most of it.

Map Layout: Like the title, the map layout follows a simple yet effective dungeon design. Unlike some of the dungeons I’ve seen, it doesn’t have a ton of four way intersections or unnecessary rooms. It gives false entrances, and dead ends, though, so not everything is as it seems. But, at the heart of the layout, you get long corridors and rooms that serve a purpose. Rating: Great, but I like a simple dungeon that still brings mystery and intrigue.

Tomb of Horrors First Impression: Nitty Gritty

Plot (with synopsis): The tomb lies buried beneath a hill. It is filled with deadly traps and various monsters. It also offers great treasure to adventurers brave and witty enough to survive the traps and monsters. The dread lich Acererak guards the crypt and the treasure at the heart of the tomb. As a man, he studied ways to extend his life beyond that of even unnatural means. The lich dwelled with the horrors in the halls of the tomb under the hill. Even so, his life force began to wane, so he commanded the servants to rig the traps in the tomb. After that, he destroyed them all and went to rest so that his soul may roam the various planes without being disturbed. Rating: Great, but I’m a sucker for a good lich story. I think I first learned of the creature from the monster manual and actually played a character with a friend to the realm of Raveloft and she achieved the unlife of a lich.

Encounters: Traps galore (ceiling trap, sliding block trap, poison needle trap, covered pit trap, sphere of annihilation, spike trap, and a phasing pit) wait for unsuspecting parties to trigger them and cause a mass reroll. Keep in mind that those are just the ones I saw by scanning through the module for the word trap. The module also boasts secret doors, false entrances, a chamber with three chests to choose, hidden messages, and magical effects. If it exists within the game, Gygax found a place for it in the Tomb of Horrors. Rating: Good, but bump it up to great if you’re a trap player. I’m more of a puzzle guy and there are some puzzles, but I want all the puzzles.

Creatures: Gargoyle. Poisonous (Venomous?) snakes. Greater zombie. Vrock. Flying Swords. Ochre Jelly. Wights. Demilich. For the length of the module, surprisingly low amount of combat. But, those early Dungeons and Dragons modules relied more on the traps and puzzles to keep people interested. At least the ones that I remember kept the hack and slash to a minimum. Rating: Decent. Even as someone who appreciates the more subtle side of Dungeons and Dragons, I’d find myself looking forward to the demilich during every combat.

Tomb of Horrors First Impression: Where Next?

Loot: Alongside the loot from combat and the various chambers, the tomb boasts a hoard of gems worth hundreds of thousands of gold, four magic weapons, twelve potions, six scroll spells of 5th level or lower, a magic ring, magic rod, magic staff, and three wondrous items. Rating: Decent. Those who triumph are rewarded well. However, based on my limited reading of the module, it feels like the level of loot isn’t quite to the level of challenge. Then again, we are the snowflake trophy generation, so maybe my idea of fair is warped.

Resolution: I like that the final encounter can basically only be won (unless you come in loaded for lich) if you refrain from combat instead of going into there with all of your firepower. It puts a nice little bow on top of the module that savvy players will figure out based on the overall theme of the dungeon. Rating: Great. In a time where twists like this ruled the pages of Dungeons and Dragons, Gygax proves again that he is literally one of the two dads of D&D.

Where Next? I came up with this idea because generally when I lead a party through something as a DM, I want to have some sort of idea where they go next. Sometimes you can use it to weave something into the story as a foreshadow. Most of the time, you use the information for yourself to set things up later on down the road. However, I admit now that I painted myself into a corner. Because the adventure plays so great, how do you follow it up?

The Verdict

My Tomb of Horrors first impression is very good to great. I imagine it’s the same for many players. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have endured for so long with such a large following. Maybe one of these days I will even run the module for an actual group. They need someone to advise the Dungeons and Dragons club at my school.

Digital Playground

A Second Nintendo Switch: Pros and Cons

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A couple of weeks ago, I texted Chris. While that’s not news (and if you’re here for actual news, boy are you in the wrong place), the text chain gave me an idea. That idea germinated for some time. Now, it exists in the form of this article. Many of you already figured out. I texted Chris about the possibility of purchasing a second Switch.

We own a Switch. A search of “Switch” on the site brings up 4 pages worth of results. But, I explained to Chris, Liam and Quinn often take possession of it to play Pokemon. I have no problem with that because (a) I love that they love Pokemon and have that in common and (b) Liam purchased the console with his own money. But, that causes a bit of a dilemma and conflict now when I want to play, which happens more and more often recently.

Why Do I Care if You Buy a Second Switch?

See also: the perspective of the reader.

The sort answer is that you probably don’t. Allow me to speculate and write the slightly longer answer in this section. I came to the conclusion last year that this page serves mostly as an online diary for me to keep track of how my gaming habits change over the years, both as a young father and now as an older father. Sure, at some point, we might hit it big and get more readers, listeners, or viewers.

Mostly, though, I write because I like to write. I write about games because I enjoy games. I recently got over my stage fright and successfully completed and entire series of Noob’s Book Club. I started a YouTube that I update daily with content. The only thing left for me to check off my “to do” list for when I started the page is to stream on Twitch. I mean, I streamed a couple of short sessions as a test, but I need a challenge similar to my Geocaching 365 idea that I completed last year.

Will a New Switch Help Me Achieve That Goal?

See also: the perspective of the writer.

The short answer is doubtful. Either I misplaced my streaming hardware or at this point, I bet it’s obsolete. So, I need to upgrade my computer, figure out a way to run the Switch through the computer for streaming purposes, and put together a schedule. Working backwards through that list, I can finish the schedule after next week when soccer finishes. Then, I just research (Google) how to run the Switch through the software. The one thing that takes more time and resources is the new PC. While possibly not even necessary, if I need one, it won’t happen until the fall at the earliest.

Aiden wants to do at least one soccer camp over the summer. Liam, Christine, and I are taking a trip to Germany for 3 weeks as Liam’s graduation gift. Plus, we take our annual Cape trip. Quinn signed up for Scout camp. So, time and money (as always) prevents this plan from coming to fruition until at least fall.

Pros/Cons of Buying a New Switch

Pros: I own another Switch.

Cons: It costs money.

Can you tell I’ve never been good at writing pros/cons lists? But seriously, I never thought I’d even consider buying more than one console. I tested this theory out when I ran Nintendo Club at Conant last year by bringing home one of their consoles for Christmas vacation. I played it a few times, but certainly not enough to warrant buying another one for the household. So, I guess after all that, I have my answer. When we return from Germany, I’m buying another Switch.

Digital Playground

Hearthstone Battlegrounds May 2023

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Introduction

I learned from my mistake in my previous Hearthstone review. You probably noticed that I never mentioned Battlegrounds once. Previously, I complained that they neglected Battlegrounds in their update. Heck, they lost a chance to add an all new minion type to the pool. Then, they released the Battlegrounds update separately and I wished they forgot to include Undead in the minion pool. After Festival of Legends, they performed a huge overhaul of Hearthstone Battlegrounds May 2023.

They removed, reworked, and added minions to every type. They released a new rewards track and restarted as a new season. Heck, they even put together a plan to roll out certain minion types instead of releasing them all on the same day. Supposedly, that move came in response to not wanting to overwhelm players. I firmly believe that because nobody play tests anymore, they anticipated a large amount of bugs and unintentional interactions and wanted to limit their exposure to support tickets.

New Hero

Hero Power: Passive. At the end of every 3 turns, get a plain copy of the left-most card in your hand.

I played him a few times. I think, as I often do, I became too enamored with greed in trying to triple with his hero power that I lost track of the actual game. If I remember correctly, I shame conceded the first game I played and then went out in 5th the second time. Oh well, plenty of time to figure out the play style and get that first place achievement.

New and Reworked Mechanics

In keeping with the spirit of Voone’s hero power, they added “upbeat” minions. These minions do something after a certain number of turns on the board. Sometimes they add other minions to your hand. They might turn a minion in your hand golden. Still others add stats to the minions in your hand. I don’t know why they called them upbeat. There must be some sort of musical pun in there.

In addition, they reworked poisonous into venomous. As another page said, in addition to being more accurate, it provides an autokill with only the first time a minion deals damage. So, no more losing your big minions to cheap poison boards. A final change, they removed mega-windfury as a mechanic on golden windfury minions. Of the three, I like the venomous change best and find the mega-windfury decision a bit perplexing at best.

New Reward Track

The only reason for me to care at all about this change is the rewards track. Last season I made a minor push to see how high my rank got. Just under 7000 is my peak. Other than that, I saw no reason to play the game mode at the end of the season. Those who follow the page know that I have a bit of a checkered history with Hearthstone.

However, I finally grew up and grew into the same familiar pattern as with MTGA. I play the game to finish quests, gain cosmetic rewards, and not much else. Hell, with the most recent MTG set, I only recently even opened my packs. I mainly wanted the sleeves and avatars. Oh, I also wanted the rewards track.

The Verdict

If you came here for an in depth analysis of the patch, you must be new here. In that case, welcome! Look around and I hope you enjoy your stay and come back soon. However, I promise to come back in a month or so when things slow down for the summer and give my second impressions of Hearthstone Battlegrounds May 2023.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Marvel Comics April 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

I wrote in the most recent episode of Noob’s Book Club that I can keep a deadline when things aren’t so insane busy. I also wrote in my DC Comics review that I needed to go back and read some past issues for homework before next month in order to have a better idea of the quality of the books. Both of those things combine in this Marvel Comics April 2023 review.

Because many of the books this month come as parts of stories already in progress, I need to go back to get caught up on those stories. One of them, The Avengers, I might just ignore until it’s over because it is part of a multi-book event that I don’t want to chase right now. I’m invested in the TMNT Armageddon Game series of books and that’s all I can handle as far as multi book events. So, I removed the Decent section and begrudgingly moved one book from there into Good in order to make room for an “Incomplete” section this time around.

Incomplete

Thor 34

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I only need to read 2 books to get caught up with Thor. Punisher said “Book 2, Part 5”, so I might just wait until the next story for that one. I already said that I plan on skipping Avengers until the next story. By the looks of it, they plan on renumbering with the next one, too. Speaking of homework, I got the insane idea to catch up on all 260+ titles in the Bryan Hitch era of X-Men, so it might be a while before I review them.

Good

She Hulk 12

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All three of these books lived up to expectations, both good and bad. They read exactly like I remember them reading back when I was an irresponsible teenager buying the books. I mentioned earlier that I begrudgingly moved one from Decent into this category. I wanted to put FF in the decent. The story just felt so disjointed and all over the place. Alas, to keep the article consistent, I moved it here. Strange almost made it into the great. Strange and Clea fighting side by side with Moon Knight making a cameo? Next month against Dormammu, I assure you it will get bumped up to great.

Great

Amazing Spider-Man 24

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A word about Amazing Spider-Man: These only make it here because my love for Spider-Man outweighs my hatred of the current direction of the story. I hate angry Spider-Man. The god makes no sense to me. If this continues, I might need to bump him down a level or two. A note about Guardians of the Galaxy: I love what James Gunn and the MCU did to my beloved Guardians. I also love the original dysfunctional Guardians and this book brings them back to me. A note about Venom: Al Ewing is the best. This book feels very much like his Immortal Hulk. That’s a good thing. I need to read the rest.

The Verdict

Marvel looks to be going back to their roots, at least from what I read in the Marvel Comics April 2023 books. Obviously, I need to do my homework to see if the other books follow suit. I try not to fall for the Marvel vs. DC nonsense. But, if I did, they win this round going away.

Note: Images taken from Marvel page.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

DC Comics April 2023: Great, Good, Decent

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Introduction

With some of the kid activities calming down over the next few weeks, I decided to try to get back to updating the page on a regular basis. This week, I eased into it with some comic reviews. Instead of just Spawn, I reviewed two other independent comics on Monday. Today, I return with DC Comics April 2023.

Before we continue, I need to come clean. I skimmed most of the books this month. Almost all of them are in the middle or close to the end of an arc. Therefore, I need to go back and do a little research before reading next month to get a better idea of the quality of the books. Therefore, and I know you all probably do anyway, take this month’s reviews with a grain of salt.

Decent

Wonder Woman 798

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I came clean a few years ago as not a fan of Superman. I know that probably pains my brother Tim, but the character just never interested me all that much. I like my heroes with flaws and Superman traditionally has none. Let me tell you something else, though. I absolutely hate Superman when they try to humanize him. But, if anyone can make me care about ole Supes, it’s Williamson. Watch these reviews to see if it comes true.

As far as Wonder Woman and Flash this month. Overall, I enjoyed reading through them. As mentioned above, I only flipped through Wonder Woman because I need context before passing final judgement. The only reason I started collecting Flash was for Aiden, but he seems to be out of his comics phase, so at this point I’m just collecting for collection’s sake. I will say, though, that the concept of the “One Minute War” looked interesting and I want to read that story.

Good

Action Comics 1054

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Well, apparently I lied when I said that only Williamson can make me care about Superman. Because, I thoroughly enjoyed the story presented in Action Comics this month. It revolves around Metallo and offered one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of 1054. Can’t wait until next month.

I flipped through both Bats and Cats this month. Both wrap up their current stories soon and I actually wrote under Batman in my notes that I needed more context because maybe it will be great. Zdarsky is writing it and Chris said he liked the story. I promise to update you next month. Plus, I pine for older writers on these books, so I need to get over that first.

Great

Remember those old writers I pined for earlier? Ram V is absolutely one of them. I love everything he does. He just writes such amazing stories and it doesn’t matter what character he writes for. Similar to James Gunn and super hero movies, every book that Ram V touches is gold.

The Verdict

For me, DC Comics April 2023 was a mixed bag. Part of that, admittedly, is my fault. I need to go back and read the previous books for some context in the stories. Who knew that coming back to review comics would give me homework? Oh well, I promise to be more well versed in the stories by next month. Until then….

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Independent Comics I Love April 2023

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Introduction

I last wrote a comics review just over 2 years ago. According to the headline of that one, March of 2021. What bring them back, suddenly, almost two years to the day? Why does anything happen around here? I get an idea, bake it about half way, then unleash it on an unsuspecting public. And, so, Independent Comics I Love April 2023.

When I started writing (remember the half baked part), I wondered if April 2023 represented the actual release date of these comics. I receive an automatically pulled list of comics from Discount Comic Book Service every month. So, while these comics arrived on my doorstep at the end of April, they very well could have been released as long ago as January or February and I’d never know the difference.

Note: Some research led me to the conclusion that all of these comics have April release dates. So, score one for the good guys.

Code Name Ric Flair Magic Eightball (Scout Comics)

(James Haick III – Writer, Raphael Loureiro – Artist) I noticed this comic in my news feed, perhaps, a couple of months ago. I remember that I texted Chris about it in some form or fashion. He showed no interest if I remember correctly. Me, on the other hand, as a wrestling geek from a young age, I knew that I had to have the book. After reading it, what can I say? Ric Flair, noted womanizer, alcoholic, and drug addict is given a pass by the book. All of the man’s very human flaws are written off as necessary to his secret life as a double agent. I never expected great literature out of this book, but it could have been handled so differently and much better. I think the book is supposed to be read as satire. Maybe that’s me giving it too much credit. Because, if so, the satire is clumsy.

Spawn #340 (Image Comics)

(Rory McConville – Writer with Uncle Todd given “additional script” credit, Carlo Barberi – Artist) I never read Spawn for the story. Sure, I enjoyed the story, but I never read the book because of the story. Todd McFarlane, and later Greg Capullo, Philip Tan, and Angel Medina, draw such a detailed and rich universe that I can’t help but be drawn into it. The story, while very good in parts, rarely was the driving force behind the book for me. That changed a few years ago when I started collecting again. I loved the Dark Horror story and then slogged through some of the stories after that where Spawn becomes a terrorist agent because the US government was infiltrated by demons or something. I

loved issue 300 and the promised “reboot” of Spawn’s powers. Then things went up and down. Finally, I stopped writing reviews for some reason or another. The point of this all is that I don’t know how I feel about this story. Again, I love the art. But, this story of Spawn and Haunt infiltrating heaven feels a little too much like the Enemy of the State story. Who knows? Maybe if I read some of the back issues I neglected, it makes more sense. Stay tuned.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #139 (IDW Publishing)

(Sophie Campbell – Writer with additional credit to Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, Fero Pe – Artist) I need to come clean and admit I haven’t read this on yet. I texted Chris a couple of months ago. While perusing the comics at That’s Entertainment, I found the TMNT Armageddon Game imprint and started flipping through the issues. They hooked me with the story, but not having had time until now to sit down and read the books, I don’t want to spoil the story for me. But, consider this a success that instead of simply one book on my independent reading list (Spawn), I now have three for this month.

The Verdict

Admittedly, my return to review writing with independent comics I love April 2023 is a bit rocky. Two books that didn’t live up to expectation and one that I haven’t even read yet. But, I plan to catch up on Spawn to try to get hyped for the next couple of issues. I also need to read the Armageddon Game to see if that one lives up to the hype I created in my head. Until Wednesday, fellow comic fans!

On the Tabletop

MTGMOM Miscellany Edition: Cards I Love

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Introduction

In between an insane schedule mentioned several times before, I finished two set reviews. I even built some terrible decks for each of the Hearthstone classes a couple of weeks ago. Now, with MTGMOM Miscellany Edition, I finish the latest set and we put to rest the dreaded Phyrexians once and for all. Or, do we?

At least in the short term, WotC seems done with the Phyrexians. As recent television and movie projects show us, though, nobody ever truly dies in fantasy and science fiction. So, five to ten years down the road, new Praetors rise to take the mantle and spread the infection. But, for now, let’s lead the resistance.

MTGMOM Multicolored Honorable Mention (Dinos, Vampires, Giant Frogs and other Miscellany)

Borborygmos and Fblthp

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One of the first spoilers I saw was Thalia and the Gitrog Monster. I made the connection then that this last stand against the Phyrexians brought strange alliances between classic characters. That hooked me immediately and increased my interest in the set. What a fun lore and plot device. Then came Mavren and Ghalta. I just now saw Borgy and Fblthp when I went to look at the spoilers, but that just looks like a fun card. Hopefully I get a chance to play some of these at some point.

MTGMOM Multicolored Card I Love (Omnath Compleat)

As the story went along, Omnath became more powerful and mastered more colors of mana. After gaining white, I wondered how they might incorporate black mana. It makes perfect sense to have Sheoldred come in and corrupt the lifeforce and give it access to not only black, but Phyrexian mana, too. I definitely want to build an Omnath deck now.

MTGMOM Colorless Card I Love (New Sword!)

With surprisingly few colorless cards in the block, I picked the only decent one. If you play eternal formats or cubes, then you know the swords of from Magic history. They blessed us with another in this set and finally completed the cycle. I know people are down on current MTG sets, but I love that the designers continue to expand the lore and bring us new ways to enjoy the past while looking to the future.

The Verdict

Too many multicolored cards and too few colorless make this an imbalanced article. But, I consider it a success that, in spite of how busy I am I completed the latest set of Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering. I need to figure things out after recording the next episode of Ready Player One, but I promise an update over the weekend. Thanks for reading my MTGMOM Miscellany edition and I’ll see you again next week.

Spoilers courtesy of Mythic Spoiler. They’ve been my go to for spoilers for as long as I can remember.

On the Tabletop

MTGMOM Gruul Edition: Cards I Love

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Introduction

I wrote a couple of days ago in the Esper edition that I enjoyed playing those colors the most by far out of the color wheel. Not only can I find few reasons that I enjoy playing red, I actually hate playing against red even more. Mono red provides a quick way to either win or lose a game, so I see that deck more than any other on Magic the Gathering Arena. Therefore, at least half of MTGMOM Gruul edition might end up not being very much fun to ready.

I promise to try to keep my bias out of the article, though, and give you a good selection of red cards. Also, while red tilts me every time I see a basic mountain, I enjoy many green cards. So, even if I fail in delivering on the red cards, rest assured that the green cards will live up to our standards here at the page.

MTGMOM Red Honorable Mention (Dinos, Dragons, and Praetor in a Storm)

Etali, Primal Conqueror

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Look at that. I gave you five cards for the price of three in this section to make up for my admitted bias against red. Since red offends me so much, I decided to pick cards dedicated to people I love. I included Etali as a nod to Quinn, who said the other day, “I want to build a dinosaur deck again.” Every time I write one of these things, I need to include the latest dragon as a shout out to Chris. This one looks like an overcosted Goldspan, but it comes with convoke, so a tokens deck brings that down. I included Urabrask simply for the third chapter of the back. That is straight fire in a storm deck.

MTGMOM Red Card I Love (Chandra fixed my mana, gives me options, and goes pew pew)

Even though I gravitated to being a blue mage and worshiping Jace as my lord and savior, my “shameful” nerd admission for this article is that I always had a soft spot for Chandra. Her cards almost always sucked, but I found her character compelling. I like this card, though.

MTGMOM Green Honorable Mention (Atraxa Falls, Kavu Chomps, and Planeswalker Three Manas)

Atraxa's Fall

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I picked Atraxa’s Fall because it removes basically anything you can name. Yes, at sorcery speed (Spikes right now are angrily composing emails to our editor to complain about that), but I found it funny that it lists every card type in the explanation. Goes with our recent trend of including word creep in articles. The Kavu shows off one of the new keywords from the new set. When I saw the new Wrenn, I texted Chris, “They haven’t learned the lesson of three mana ‘Walkers?”

MTGMOM Green Card I Love (Wurmcoil Hydra)

I think I chose the original Polukranos in one of the articles I wrote way back when. I’m far too tired right now to look and verify. Maybe I take a look and update you in the miscellaneous article in a couple of days. Until then, glory in the face of what I texted to Chris as “Wurmcoil Hydra”. Norn went crazy with this one.

The Verdict

MTGMOM Gruul edition brought a surprising amount of cards I enjoyed. I still refuse to admit that either red or green (okay, maybe green) cards bring me any amount of joy. But, when forced to play these colors at the eternal MTG table in Hell, at least I can make some good choices.

Images courtesy of Mythic Spoiler. They’ve been my go to page for spoilers for as long as I can remember.

On the Tabletop

MTGMOM Esper Edition: Cards I Love

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Introduction

Mario in March went less spectacularly that I anticipated this year. I suppose that’s par for the course for us here at 2 Generations Gaming. We get a decent idea, some time to implement that idea, and then life gets busy again. I mean, I never intended for this page to be income, but I see other people doing it and sometimes wonder why it was never us. But, no time to feel sorry for ourselves. I keep this page alive for me and me alone. If someone else finds something they enjoy, great. Besides, a new Magic the Gathering set released. So, time to review MTGMOM Esper cards.

Those who follow the page know that white, blue, and black represent the part of the MTG color wheel where I almost exclusively reside. In all honesty (and why lie?), I prefer blue, play blue and black for utility and for fun (*cough* police *cough), and splash white for maximum fun (*cough* again police *cough*). So, every set, I start truly with cards I love.

White Honorable Mention (Eggs, Like Actual Eggs Not the Deck, Planeswalker Hate and a Wrath)

Attentive Skywarden

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This set introduces some cool new mechanics. Battles (more on those later in the week), backup (might make an appearance tomorrow), and incubate. Incubate mimics the Phyrexian invasion by putting tokens on the field that transform into Phyrexians on certain conditions. Playing MTGA gave me an irrational fear and hatred of Planeswalkers. Cut short helps me deal with that. And, you all know my love for a good wrath.

White Card I Love (Elesh Norn)

The Praetors get one last stand (spoiler alert) in this set and WotC took care of their Phyrexian momma. I texted Chris when I saw the card, “You think they’ll ever make an Elesh Norn that isn’t overpowered?” He replied, simply, “Nope.” It might take a while to get back into the part of the story where they can make another Norn card (again, spoiler alert), but I remain convinced that he’s right.

MTGMOM Blue Honorable Mention (Blue Doing Blue Things and a Knight?)

Transcendent Message

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I mentioned earlier that I mainly enjoy playing blue. I just get an unnatural enjoyment out of frustrating my opponents. I try to curb that impulse when playing against friends. But, on MTGA, all bets are off. So, I’m bringing a card that lets me counter spells and draw cards. Plus, a card that lets me draw my whole deck. Oh, and a knight for some reason. I can’t explain it. I just like the card. Maybe if I ever find myself drafting the set, I will try to bully everyone off knights.

MTGMOM Blue Card I Love (Going to Segovia)

I just learned of Segovia with this set. I needed to go back to the card to check the spelling. Naturally, when I learn something new in one of the games I enjoy, I end up doing some research on that subject. I learned that Segovia is a plane where everything is super small. That made sense, then, why the tyrant is the size of a grizzly bear. Also, you get to see Siege Battle cards in action. Very cool and fun.

MTGMOM Black Cards Honorable Mention (Card Draw, Mr. Take Yo Planeswalker, and Bring Me the Head of Elesh Norn!)

Breach the Multiverse

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Honestly, I just chose Mirrodin Avenged because (a) I liked that plane and hate the Phyrexians. Seeing Karn finally avenge his loss after all this time is awesome. Breach the Multiverse feels like a fun (police) card to play in a 4 player commander game. And, I don’t have enough creatures in my UB MTGA deck to take advantage of that card draw, but I’ve been meaning to put together a token sac deck.

MTGMOM Card I Hate (Glistening Deluge)

I went with a different strategy when picking this card. Hey, when they expect you to zig, you gotta zag! Anyway, when reading the text on these cards (and I think I talked about card text creep last time), I saw this card and it made me pause as a mathematician and minor league logic troll. The phrase “…green and/or white…” includes one too many words. Logically, if a card is green and white, then it is green or white. I remember reading once that Magic the Gathering partially works because the cards logically make sense. This card does, but that extra word just bothers me.

The Verdict

MTGMOM Esper cards in this article feel a little underwhelming when compared with the last set. That’s not to say there aren’t good or powerful cards. I just chose to eschew them in favor of my pet projects and trolling. Hey, when you start your own web page, you can do the same. Heck, you can share the MTGMOM Esper cards you love in the comments.

Card images taken from Mythic Spoiler. Go there for all your spoiler needs. I’m not looking for a deal with them or anything, I just like their set up the best of all the pages.