B is for Bacteria!

The sort that cause stomach flu in this case.

This A to Z Challenge started off on the wrong foot for me anyway: two days after it started my computer died. The next day I had to leave on a trip and it was the middle of the following week before I could buy a replacement: the cheapest laptop I could find, which is what I am hunting and pecking at now.

THEN I came down with this damn stomach flu. Dire Rear, as they say. :-(

It had cleared up, and I went back to work but now it seems to be rearing its ugly head again! Grrr! Not so bad this time, so maybe it is just lingering effects. It certainly is causing me to narrow down the source of the problem: work or McDonald's where I grabbed breakfast on Monday. Nobody else at home is sick, so I am ruling that out.

A is for Apocrita

According to Wikipedia, Apocrita is a suborder of insects that includes wasp, bees and ants.

To quote: "The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant."

The picture is of a giant wasp, formerly sold by Mega Miniatures as part of one of their sci-fi ranges. Last year the molds were sold off and while someone else bought the sci/fi range, they did not want the wasp so I picked up that.

I am intending on doing some fantasy riders...

A New Judge in Town!

http://www.michaelowencarroll.com/judgebadge.htm

Hyborian Wars!

Hyborian Wars Map, by RSI

This map is from a PBEM game run by Reality Simulations Inc (RSI). I'm not certain if they are still running games, but I found it Here via this site.

Even if they are not still running, the map is of interest as is the zipped "Set up" file for all the 36 "Player Kingdoms". This lists the starting forces and characters, along with their abilities and the composition of  the starting armies. The troop ratings are very generic - ie. Missile ability: POOR, Melee ability: EXCELLENT, Morale: ADEQUATE, etc. The cost to maintain the troops is given in similar fashion with Amazonian Javelin troops having LOW maintenance costs whereas those of the Black Dragons are VERY HIGH.

It is of interest to me for several reasons:

1) I have always enjoyed and admired Tony Bath's Hyboria Campaign as chronicled in "Battle" and later "Military Modelling". I have his book "How to Run a Wargames Campaign" but have never yet run a Hyborian campaign myself.

2) The map could be used for a "Barbarians of Lemuria" campaign.

3) The map has far eastern nations and so the "Garden of Kama" setting might be introduced into the game.

Look Wot I Found....

Found these in the mall yesterday.

I will have to build some sort of howdah, or maybe a throne to go on top of that walking gargoyle contraption/statue.

The skull will be a perfect centerpiece for an evil temple.

Sword & Silk: "Swords of the Four Winds"

Eleven tales of swords and sorcery set in the ancient East!

http://hariragat.blogspot.ca/

The Garden of Kama Interpreted...

Way back in February of this year I did a rough outline of the Garden of Kama - I mean, really rough!

Here are those same nations again with the Fortune Deck applied. I rolled 3d6, the first two to determine the card and the third to determine whether it was "reversed" or not. I rolled each heading in order and took the rolls I got - no Fudging! I haven't filled in the interpretations yet but I see some interesting possibilities. 

Aoa  

Past                 4-2-3   Nature – Life Energy

Present           1-5-5   The Defender(R) – Peril

Future             5-1-5   The Satyr(R) – Moderation

Virtue              6-2-3   Trickery – Deceit

Fault                5-6-2   Striking the Dragon’s Tail – Underestimating the Challenge

Fate                 4-5-2   The Phoenix – Rebirth

Interpretation: ???

Ologog

Past                 2-2-1   The Eagle – The Mind Prevails

Present           5-2-5   The Smith(R) – Evil Effort

Future             1-3-2   The Creator – Nurture

Virtue              3-2-1   The Hermit - Wisdom

Fault                2-3-4   Fearing Shadows(R) – Recognizing Safety

Fate                 6-2-1   Trickery – Deceit

Interpretation: ???

Kamjola

Past                 2-3-6   Fearing Shadows(R) – Recognizing Safety

Present           4-6-6   The Priestess(R) – Impracticality

Future             2-2-4   The Eagle(R) – Thoughtlessness

Virtue             4-4-6   The Peasant(R) – Lack of Vision

Fault                2-1-6   Drowning in Armour(R) – True Prudence

Fate                 5-2-1   The Smith – Productivity

Interpretation: ???

Champakou

Past                 3-6-5   Law(R) – Treachery

Present           4-5-4   The Phoenix(R) – Destruction

Future             2-6-4   The Fool(R) – Lack of Connection

Virtue              1-6-5   The Dragon(R) – Blind Fury

Fault                4-5-3   The Phoenix – Rebirth

Fate                 4-5-4   The Phoenix(R) – Destruction

Interpretation: ???

Mara

Past                 3-3-5   Inspiration(R) – Lack of Imagination

Present           4-5-1   The Phoenix – Rebirth

Future             2-1-4   Drowning in Armour(R) – True Prudence

Virtue              4-5-3   The Phoenix – Rebirth

Fault                6-6-1   Summer – Energy

Fate                 3-5-1   Knowledge – Truth

Interpretation: ???

Easterlings (Panam)

Past                 5-3-6   The Soldier(R) – Blind Obedience

Present           6-5-1   Winter – Maturity

Future             4-5-1   The Phoenix – Rebirth

Virtue             1-2-5   The Cockatrice(R) – Recovery

Fault                2-3-3   Fearing Shadows(R) – Recognizing Safety

Fate                 1-5-3   The Defender – Safety

Interpretation: ???

Koreans (Jong Yu)

Past                 2-3-5   Fearing Shadows(R) – Recognizing Safety

Present           6-1-4   Summer(R) – Exhaustion

Future             5-4-5   Sowing Stones(R) – Ceasing Fruitless Labour

Virtue             2-4-3   Fertility – Growth

Fault                5-2-2   The Smith – Productivity

Fate                 5-1-6   The Satyr(R) – Moderation

Interpretation: ???

Lohwand

Past                 3-2-5   The Hermit(R) – Isolation

Present           4-3-4   Overlooking the Diamond(R) – Recognizing Opportunity

Future             2-2-2   The Eagle – The Mind Prevails

Virtue              6-6-2   The Usurper – At War

Fault                1-4-1   Death – Change

Fate                 4-5-5   The Phoenix(R) – Destruction

Interpretation: ???

Also, I've just noticed that I left one nation out...have to correct that tomorrow!