Legend of Galactic Heroes

I've only started watching Legend of Galactic Heroes, and this pretty much sums it up. It's the only anime I've ever seen where being in the title credits doesn't guarantee anything, at all.

It's got grand fleet movements, good classical scores, a keen interest on naval strategy, and a sort of Death Note style polarity between the admirals and their respective commands all shot in a historical war movie style. It's even a sort of a wonder child of the cash stuffed Japanese 80's where there are far more things painfully animated that are very rarely seen in feature films, let alone a TV series.

All in all, good stuff so far.
Bonus for watching the series: The episode of The Melancholy Sadness of Haruhi Suzamiya "The Day of Sagittarius" makes a lot more sense and considerably funnier.

HOLD THE PASS! Capps Vs. Canopian Highlanders

This was my first game of Battletech in... 10 years? The other 2 players (MemphisMark being one) (fielding just short of a combined 2 lances of Canopian Highlanders) were about as equally foggy over the rules. But like riding a bike, we all got back into the rhythm of things pretty quickly- and had a complete blast.

The setup was a friendly pickup game/re familiarization of the rules. I fielded around 7000pts of Cappie goodness vs. 14000 of greedy Canopian Highlander mercenary filth. I got to deploy on board and 'defend the pass' (presumably the only avenue to the local orphanage) while the mercs walked on board.

I'm not biased at all... really.

The "good guys":
ASN-21 "Assassin"
VND-4L "Vindicator"
LGB-12C "Longbow"
OSR-4L "Ostroc"
4x Po Heavy Tanks "The Door Stops"

The Canopians: (Forgive me if I'm not entirely clear on the unit designations)
Modified LGB-12C featuring C3 "Longbow"
Modified Atlas with targeting computer "Atlas"
KGC-001 "King Crab"
Behemoth
Masakari(Prime)
Annihilator modified to feature 4 RAC5s (and enough ammo casings to fill a parking lot).

The situation after the first turn: (any area with green 1 "level" above the ground is trees)



The Po's fire into the Annihilator scratching the armor while the Longbow makes use of the terrain and pummels the Masakari over the tree line. This proves to be a problem as return fire in the form of pot shots from nearly everyone is too much. He will turn around and get off the hill. The RAC5 Annihilator begins to motive crit the tanks and cause issues.


The Po's flush out to take advantage of the hill and deny half the Canopian assets a valid target while whittling away at the behemoth and annihilator's armor. The Cappellan lighter assets make a move around the flank behind the trees to slow down the assault group. The Masakari continues to fusillade the Longbow for the LRM insult the turn before and the Cappellan LGB pilot learns a valuable mistake in turning its back armor to the crowd.

Nearly everything on the board takes a pot shot at it. Though nearly everything wiffs, it does core out the left torso rear armor and all but one internal structure point.



He wiffs the piloting roll to withstand the onslaught.

The Annihilator climbs to the top of the hill and begins to unload his ammo on the tanks below in a fashion not dissimilar from a scene from Hot Shots Part Deux, completely disabling the main armaments of one tank. The rest of the group unloads what they can on the Annihilator hoping to hurt the resale of the assault mech... or something. Anything.

It is a grim time for the Cappellans. I'm still nearly out matched 2 to 1 in an attempt to save the orphans protect the pass. With no appreciable damage thus far against the Annihilator, the Longbow takes a shot at it. Nearly everything connects with the cluster rolls being somewhat lousy.
The last 6 point LRM groupings are allocated... the dice are cast.

Roll for 5 points...

2; Crit chance

Roll for last point...

2... crit chance

Could this be? A potential turn around? Unlikely as it was, I was already pressing my luck, I rolled the dice for the crits
"come-on box cars come-on box cars come-on box cars come-on box cars" *dice roll* I had to stare at the dice for a second before I realized it.

***BOX CARS***

And like a Brazillian Soccer commentator announcing a goal, I screamed 'Yes' and quite nearly did a victory dance. I was completely unaware of myself for a moment, and followed up with a quick sorry and moved on to the next crit. A 10, 2 more crits.

And with a sudden halt, the XL engine on the 100 ton monstrosity whined to a halt and (presumably) fell over in ankle deep water.


The Cannopian's assault stuttered for a minute. The Behemoth stopped to whittle down the opposition at range, the King Crab diverted to take care of the light assets threatening to flank them while the Cannopian Longbow began making shots at the Assassin clearly running into their flanks. The Ostroc came out of hiding to completely miss and overheat firing at the Behemoth.
The Behemoth, in one turn, started generation crits on the Ostroc in kind.


The glory of the Confederation still relying on risk, slowing down/distracting his assets, and denying him the ability to concentrate fire, the Vindicator leaps from the woods to Death From Above the King Crab. The crab nearly knocks the leg off the Vindicator in defensive fire (taking out a leg actuator) while it successfully executes its DFA.

One of the Po crews, previously stunned and otherwise out of action, sprints into the assault group hoping to absorb some fire and buy time for the rest of the combat team.



The flanks successfully threatened, the assault group (Atlas, King Crab, Longbow) stops and turns around to deal with the Assassin, Vindicator, and brave Po crew with one working machine gun. Another Po charges into the fray at an opportune moment hoping to force the rear armor on something. The group manages to puncture the rear armor of the Longbow and generate some crits, damaging the XL engine.

The Ostroc charges attempting to make a difference but just loses an arm, leg, and pushes 24 heat.

In return, the Cappellan Longbow finally succumbs to the whittling of armor and loses a torso to the Masakari. The Vindicator also goes down to the impressive firepower of the King crab and the Atlas.

The game was called at this point (and rightly so, i had the black knight AKA Ostroc barely conscious and offensively making the ground hot and a collection of tanks in various states of operation). MemphisMark called it a pyrrhic victory for the Cappellans since they never made it to the pass. It was a good game nonetheless.

The real winners here were the Vindicator and Assassin.



These 2 little guys managed to tie up nearly an entire assault lance for almost 4 turns and gave the rest of the team time to even the odds against the other 3 mechs... And one of them survived till the end.
...and the Cappellan Mechwarrior dice I used for the game that I got as a gift. Can't over rate some lucky dice that pulled through at the right moment. =D

Other observations:
The Po tank is individually just a decoration. As a lance, they can't be ignored. They accounted for nearly half the damage I was doing.
The RAC/5, when fired conservatively, is incredibly effective mid range crit finder.


Great game... Good guys... And a great place to game. Check out GamerzDepot outside of Memphis if you guys ever get a chance.

WipEout HD

This really doesn't do it justice to how smooth it looks.

• Onkyo 7.1 sound system with Dolby 2.0 codec - Check.
• Playstation 3 Slim with Dolby 2.0 Codec support- Check.
• WipEout HD optimized specifically for Dolby 2.0 Codec - Check.

.Holy Cow.

Much like Avatar, whose 3D experience is a game breaker for the movie, there is few things that come along that are truly novel and innovative. The vast majority of the time modern media is a rehash of something that came before it in a progressive iteration toward unprofitably where upon it will stop being made. In this endeavour very rare few diamonds will shine brightly in the sea of excrement. I can count these instances on one hand. But I still consume these modern diversions with gusto because even when it is crap it's still entertaining. Though in digression, I've become quite picky regarding the media that I do partake.

WipEout HD steps out from that mold it was cast in. It's a WipEout game through and through and shouldn't for a second be considered seperate from the sequel factory that it and other games are. The maps are familiar down to the textures. It is an admitted homage and port of other WipEout games no less just with updated graphics and some tweaking to make it play like silk.

But when it really comes alive is with the sound. It's a solid game if you're into the WipEout franchise, but the sound makes it absolutely decadent. It's also, and a great homage to it's techno-trance music roots, so much better when the volume is cranked. Subtle details are lost when the volume is low and the experience feels muted or jilted by comparison to the "volume at 11" version.

It's the only game I can think of that benefits not so much by just having proper audio equipment, but keeping it loud. At a paltry $20 online, it's also a steal. It is far and away the most played game on the PS3 for me.

Consider it a glowing endorsement-doubly so if you have the equipment to fully realize it.

Simmering with rage

My truck was stolen last night. Right out from my own driveway. I had to sweep up the glass, all that I have left of it, earlier and throw it away. I'm out the full value, into the trash, as I did not have comprehensive coverage on the vehicle. Not that I think it would have really mattered though, the depreciated value would have made me pay more for the insurance than what I would have got for the vehicle.
In a sick way, I came out on top regarding that.

The truck meant a lot to me. It was mine. It was paid off. It went with me everywhere and, on some occasions, took care of me and kept me warm. My first dates with my wife were in that vehicle. It's still kind of hard to fully grasp its loss as I keep tumbling through the different stages of grief/acceptance.

It had my Last Exile figurine.

Anger is one I keep coming back too though. It makes me want to go all Pierce Bronson on the public until I get the vehicle back. Though I know that is not going to happen. However the "price" that was paid was that I used to have a sense of civic duty before this in the sense that I will not take part of "white flight" and leave this neighborhood to let it be that much less without me, whatever value that is.

But within almost exactly a year, I've had one wheel stolen from the Malibu, my brother and friend mugged, and my truck wholesale stolen. This strains my sense of civic duty. I can't go outside without feeling like I might get mugged... or come back to my house vandalized.

So, we will move. Queue "Mars Bringer of War".

Kudos if you catch the reference.

I've ignored the signs long enough.

At least the cops came within 5 minutes of making the report. They should have an easy time finding a '93 blue Chevy Silverado.

It's a veritable diamond in the rough.

Post 4th Cappie Reinforcements

An unfortunate truth of the Cappellan Confederation immediately after the 4th Succession War is the frequent use of stop gap measures to restore combat strength to its units. Although the Po is effective yet cheap tank, when not considered an insult, they are seen as little more than sloppy and inexperienced peasant army by the Mech unit that they are attached too. It doesn't hurt the crews morale however as they try and earn the respect of their peers through frequent trials by fire. They've been bloodied on more than one occasion as witnessed by the patchwork unpainted armor panelings.



Taking pictures of these things in highlight really points out the things I can improve on. However what these pictures doesn't show is the turrets held on with rare earth magnets.

I had to hollow out a small recess on either side of the turret. Ever take a dremel to a turret of the Po? It's scary.
It's so worth it though. I can pick one of them up by the turret and don't fear losing the small little guy.

Mispell

Turns out, I'm incompetent. 'Phyrric'... though I swear I did check it... is not the correct spelling of 'Pyrrhic'.
Hence, there is a new name, and shortly, a new banner on the blog.

It should be an exercise in thought then, that within a another dimension where possibility shattered off into alternate quantum states, there is a version of myself that spelled it right. Hell, it's mathematically unlikely that this hasn't all happened before and this is just myself misspelling it for what would seem on observation, the infinite time.

Or perhaps 'Phyrric' is the right version and perhaps, hold on to your corn chips now folks, I did spell it right but somehow drifted into this dimension *MIND BLOWN*.

That's what I thought.

Regardless, I don't think too much of it though, I think a lot of things lucked out in the right way in this "alternate universe" for me. I just lucked out on that quantum junction and ended up in the alternate universe where I couldn't spell 'Phyrric'.

Useless Machine

Wow... that is useless.

Beam Ship

I'm kinda proud of this one. It's a mini for Full Thrust that I made after reading the rules. The rules are cash I assure you.

These photos were taken right before I tried to make a cast of it... and subsequently melted the forward sections with a hair dryer trying to cure the rubber mold.

I've repaired it, but it's not the same. I intend to make others, however I find myself squandering my time too often to really do it.

New Format/Name

I've mostly finished the new format and name change. I grew tired of the "moreninja" bit. It was a hold over from when I couldn't find a name for the blog and didn't really care if it worked or not as I just wanted to see the blogspot interface.
I recall being frustrated for the most part at the time.

Regardless, here it is with some CSS polish and some dering-do.

The new name "Phyrric Victories" is a reference to my father. One lesson that I learned, among the many -many- defeats my father handed me over a plethora of paper chit wargames, is that to win, sometimes you need to make sacrifices.

The most memorable of instances, and the first time I heard the word 'phyrric', was over a game of Advanced Squad Leader. And although I lost the battle, a few small engagements turned in my favor by way of overwhelming brute force in the form of a tidal wave human bodies. If it is of any interest, it was an engagement of Russians vs. Germans, and I did have a commissar on board. I was at least playing the part.


"Look at that blood bath," he'd gesture to me while looking over the stack of casualties I was incuring. Despite gaining some ground, he told me enthusiastically that I was winning a phyrric victory and gave me the definition of the word upon my inquiry. He didn't cut any of the details about King Phyrrus and his bloody campaign against the Romans, about how he lost, and the famous quote "If I was to win another such victory I will go home alone". It would prove to be fore shadowing what was to come.

I didn't really care. For about 10 minutes I was winning a game I always lose. And it's a lesson I haven't forgot.

Gaeman teim! Twilight Imperium 3rd.

Now Twilight Imperium, another FFG game, I like. It's appreciated like a strong alcohol, of which is bitter and unpleasant at first but becomes enjoyable upon future revisitations. And just like a good alcohol, it's subtle natures take allot to respect and enjoy.

(note: We house ruled the value of the Imperial strategy to be worth 1vp.)

One of it's subtle ques, that is frequently missed in our saber rattling between 2 friends, my brother, and I (University, Naalu, Xxcha, and Yssaril respectively), is that Twilight Imperium is not a war game per se. The objective is to accumulate victory points, of which the vast majority can be had without so much as firing a shot. The background fluff is about rebuilding a previously standing government after all.

This didn't stop someone from not just developing War Suns, but building 2 of them... in the same system... with nearly everything in his allotment of peices to escort. Nearly everything in his command pool was in logistics. His posturing did not go unnoticed to the Xxcha and Naalu players.

For nearly the entire game, the diplomacy strategy kept his juggernaut of "nipple guns" from spilling over into the Xxcha and Naalu domains.

(Pic: Naalu and Xxcha diplomats considering tactical options against the University)

As the Yssaril, I went about things with a little more subtlety. I kept to politics/imperial strategies and attempted to keep to the objectives (only 1 of which required conflict, my options then were against the mongolian juggernaught of the University or the Naalu- and neither were in swinging reach so to speak, so it was moot).
The only brazen military maneuver I did was a flank speed action card to get 2 fully loaded carriers to Mecatol Rex early. I fortified the position from then on out and used it to swing votes and saber rattle.
In retrospect however, the position was completely unsupportable in the face of hostilities.

The center of the board quickly turned into a quagmire as PDS limits were reached and everyone developed interstellar cannons. Cannons pinged each other from across the interstellar void for little effect among the biggest arms build up I've ever seen.
Mecatol Rex proved to be the only thing the University could not roll over without casualty and I did nothing to provoke him. The others, mere speed bumps by comparison militarily... kept diplomatically locking up any other avenue for attack.

Ironically, they attacked each other in a string of bloody border skirmishes.

Not content with that, I played in all of my objectives catapulting me from 4vp (a dead heat with the Naalu for the lead) to 9vp and an imperial strategy away from winning.

(pic: What it might have looked like.)

The Xxcha, still at 0vp, refused to let the game end being in dead last and pulled the imperial strategy hoping to tie for third.

The drawn objective card ended the game then and there with a win for myself.

The Yssaril won the game without firing a single shot the entire game.

Gaeman teim! Galactica

I love a good board game and Fantasy Flight Games makes some of the best overproduced cardboard pieces of weight lifting equipment examples of a finely nuanced game. It is by little coincidence that this weekend featured two of such bookcase filling monstrosities beautifully rendered and realized games.



The first round was that of Battlestar Galactica in which my brother, wife, and 2 friends played. This was our collective first outing of the game, the only familiarity of the game being dispersed by myself based solely on what I read of the cards/statistics/etc. My brother and one of the guys had no familiarity with the source material either.

I played the role of Col. Saul Tigh, resident bad ass and and accomplished but only social drinker - his drinking habits are completely exaggerated and a by product of Cylon propaganda. The others played Baltar, Starbuck, Adama, and Rosalin respectively.

The game started with Baltar acting... well... like Baltar-ish. It was not 30 minutes into the game and I realized and explained to the others that I had to do the only sensible thing. Lock that shifty eyed son of a bitch into the brig.

...and discard my hand because I was totally not a drunk. This did not happen numerous times over the course of the game.

But alas the starting Cylon fleet got a few lucky hits off on the Galactica and by the time that was sorted out, Rosalin gave Baltar the Vice Presidency. Shenanigans ensued as crisis after crisis failed and every resource the Galactica had went into the red. I was even in the brig at one point with that gutter rat Baltar. Later he had the nerve to look at my loyalty card and declare that I was a Cylon (A ridiculous lie if I ever heard one). But things turned around when martial law stripped Rosalin of her powers (the crisis card)... and then, in the most awesome move of the game, Adama appointed me the advocate.

"I AM THE LAW. I WILL BRING ORDER TO THIS SHIP. We will have no more of this civilian bull shit." - bad ass Col. Saul Tigh; arresting Baltar for the 4th(?) time.

At this point I could reduce at whim the difficulty of arresting someone to 1.

Baltar would have been out the airlock had my Judge Dredd inspiration allowed me. Instead he languished in prison while investigative committees kept the cards honest and from being overkill for the various crisises.

(pic: Galactica making progress.)

The resources for the Galactica painted a grim picture by now, but we were surviving by the skin of our teeth and Baltar played nice... until Rosalin orchestrated an executive order card to get him out of the brig.

(note: Upon reflection this is an error. You can't move anywhere until you pass the skill check. At least we were consistent.)

...and he promptly began chucking grenades around the Galactica while revealing his Cylon loyalty card.

(note: He actually pulled both the Cylon loyalty cards, and though only executing one of them revealed them both in error when he could of given one of them to us. He could of made all my accusations look pedantic if he passed on the card.)

His damage caused the Galactica loose a tick of fuel, leaving us at 1. A scouting party was dispatched to help out with the next jump, but they never returned and we lost the Raptor. The fuel tick turned out to be invaluable as both of the next jump destinations would put us at 0.

(pic: What a Cylon may look like.)

Cylons win.