All Units Return to Base

Friday was my birthday. I am 51. Not sure how that happened.

Peppermint Update: He came home from the hospital on my birthday, which was the best gift I could get. There's no cure, but at least he's home and comfortable and we can take care of him ourselves.

We went for a walk to the nearest convenient store (a bi-weekly tradition) and I treated myself to a Monster energy (Orange Dreamsicle flavor is amazing!). I may or may not have had three more over the weekend *cough cough*

I had thought that afterwards I might strong-arm my son into playing Wings of Glory with me, as we recently had a great time with the basic rules, but alas, his friends were all online playing Roblox together and I didn't have the heart to keep him from that.

Instead, I sat with Peppermint and re-watched several episodes of HBO's The Pacific.

Fired up, I spent time Saturday rebasing my Pacific Theater collection. 

The result is that I can field a company plus per Crossfire organization tables for both the Japanese and the USMC in 1942. 

Cutting the little b********** free from their individual bases was far more trying than I expected. Fortunately, I only stabbed myself once. Unfortunately, it was right in the tip of my fretting hand index finger, which means playing guitar will be unpleasant for a bit.

The Americans

The Japanese. Each platoon gets a knee mortar. And a badly painted flag.

I toyed with using 1.5" squares and three figures per base, but went with 2-figure1.25" squares (the standard size from the rulebook) because I can field more units this way.

Of course, based as they are, I can use them Hammer of Democracy, too.

I have Britton Publishers Rising Sun: Operation Watchtower for Guadalcanal scenarios and Rising Sun: Operation Galvanic for Tarawa. It's been awhile since I read either, but if I recall, most of the scenarios are infantry only, with off-table artillery, which suits my forces. I suspect that as written they are better suited to Hammer of Democracy, as Crossfire requires substantial terrain laid out with great care to prevent table length line of sight and fire lanes.

Sunday,  which, by my reckoning, was still part of my birthday, I ran the third session of our Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign.

The party made it to the town, spent some time talking to the townsfolk (where we discovered I can do just two accents: Southern and the other Southern) and went on a shopping spree, before eventually making their way to the hideout of some ruffians who have been shaking down the businesses in town. 

They quickly found themselves toe-to-toe with a Nothic (a creature none of us had never heard of before - and they still haven't, I just showed them the picture, not the name) but came out victorious. This was followed by rolling over some skellies in a crypt. We were all shocked to find out that in 5e clerics don't get to turn undead at 1st level! I guess that makes up for them being able to cast spells at 1st.

To my delight, the players have rediscovered the ancient joy of mapping the dungeon as you go.  It's not really accounted for in-play like it is in B/X, at least not in the starter set, so it's not an in-game document they can lose in a fire or flood. 

Not that I'd do that to them. I swear.

Insert Witty Title Here

I have not been able to concentrate much on anything lately. 

Peppermint, who has diabetes (which is what led to his cataracts) was diagnosed with kidney disease a few weeks ago. Oh and they found he has hypothyroidism (getting him to take his pill is an event worthy of pay-per-view. And he usually wins and I find it on the floor sometime later).

Today, they found a clot in his aorta - he'll be at the hospital overnight at least, as he hasn't been eating and his blood sugar levels are insane. It's a juggling act of treatments and problems and, if he refuses to eat even with medication, then it will greatly limit our options to manage his diseases. Painful as it is, we have to prepare for the possibility that we may need to consider hospice-type care (honestly, I think I am sharing this to help prepare myself as much as it is to let his fans know of his current state).  

For those of the praying sort, please feel free to say one for him or to send him a mental pet.

I took this a few days ago. The difference between then and today is like day and night.

To distract myself, I picked up a paint brush. At least it guarantees quieting my mind for awhile. 

The result is that I finished painting the four Reaper Dark Heaven lizard warrior archers I had started earlier this year.

On their own, not terribly impressive, but ...

with the others, they do create a nice horde.

These figures will allow me to field a unit of Dark Heaven archers on foot, rather than on the howdah. A few painted Wargames Atlantic lizards will crew the howdah eventually.