FIRESTONE - Book 1 by RYAN CARRIERE [Fantasy Steampunk] A Tale of The Eternal Stones Series

Get Your Free Copy Today! (Limited Time)

Lovers of Fantasy and Steampunk stories, check out this new series by Ryan Carriere. I got this on short notice but I like what I've seen so far. Amazing book covers and vids. I just downloaded my free copy so I'll be busy reading for a while.

This is so different from my series, The Edge of Time, which, is a different genre (contemporary post-apocalyptic fiction) but either way, I'm enjoying Ryan's first book in his series, A Tale of The Eternal Stones. An amazing story. Get it today!

Check out Ryan Carriere and his new book series on Facebook too. 

Timelapse of The Entire Universe - Apocalyptic

ARCHIVE: A New Sci-Fi Movie - A Rothery VOD Film

Directed by Gavin Rothery. With Rhona Mitra, Theo James, Toby Jones, Stacy Martin. 2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.

I'm watching this movie tonight so I'll post my review on Sunday. I've got my fingers crossed so I hope it's a good one. Happy watching.

Here's an update about my review of this movie:

Loved the concept and "special effects" or visuals. But unfortunately, this is one of those movies with very little tension or subtext to keep you riveted and keep you in suspense. Couldn't get into this film as much as I wanted to. Otherwise, it was interesting enough to watch until the end.

The ending for me fell short because I could hardly hear their soft-spoken voices but even when I got the words I'm not quite sure I got the ending.

I'll have to watch it again to see if this film gets any better.

SPOILER:

Okay, so after watching this movie again I can say that this film has a The Sixth Sense meets Ex Machina kind of feel. I think I loved it because it definitely had some good moments.

Board Games and Coronavirus - How Millennium is Dealing With COVID-19

Hey folks, I hope you're safe, healthy, and still living the American Dream in one way or another. Without question, COVID-19 has dampened spirits and has changed our daily lives in unexpected ways.

But no worries, my response to this virus regarding the Millennium game is simple because viruses are certainly a part of the apocalypse and it's fairly easy to add playing cards and chits to thematically reflect a sign of the times, which I already had in play as a generic plague.

New COVID-19 Playing Card

The question is, what does COVID-19 look like in the year 2157? For now, it looks like the common flu since several vaccines have been developed to fight it, however, about 5% of the population is still dying when infected. Anything goes at this point and the details are only as important as the action you want to add to the game.

I don't like to use losing turns like a game mechanism, but this is COVID-19 after all so the punishment fits. I can adjust the number of turns lost and will probably wind up with 2 turns lost so as to not discourage gameplay.

Other than that, Millennium is better than ever and I plan to print another prototype this coming month and continue testing the game. I've already started working on the introduction video to the game and I'll be able to add game-play rules as soon as I get the new box and game board. As far as the launch date, that remains to be seen because I had planned to launch this game on September 11 but I might push that to a later date; maybe November or even another month in 2021 because of the election this November.

As anxious as I am to get Millennium out there, I don't want to rush things either. The launch date is important because The Game Crafter website helps promote the game initially and so I want to pair that with my own promotions to generate stronger momentum.

That first push and intro are important to keep high and wide at first and then narrow the promos to the niche audiences who are most likely to buy the game. Some might say that the opposite is true but I think that wider exposure from the outset is the way to go.

Either way, Millennium will be on the market soon enough and my 3-year secret will be exposed for everyone to see. 

Millennium's stealth mode is about to unveil the inevitable and glorious introduction to one of the most exciting and most innovative board games planet Earth has ever known.

Lofty hyperbole, yes. You've got to think big and reach for the stars, my friends. We've got but one life so we must make the very best of it while we can.

Live long and prosper.

Post-Apocalyptic Board Games - A Millennium Game Update

New Millennium Game Box

Hey folks, I hope all is well by you and that being home isn't driving you up the walls. Many people have adapted to working from home as I did 12 years ago. It's best if you have a dedicated home office, otherwise, the distractions are maddening.

Family game night is back and so it's a good time to try something new if you're tired of the old classic games. I was hoping to get Millennium out there by the September 11 deadline but since the manufacturer (TheGameCrafter.com) had been closed and I've had to add additional COVID-19 theme cards and chits, that has set me back a bit.

But no worries, the game is better than ever and holding up nicely despite minor delays. I still have a gameplay video to produce once they print the final prototype. Mama mia, (I'm watching the Godfather for the 100th time as I work) this game is never done.

Grazie. Prego.

Absolutely one of the best films ever made. You gotta love the classics and that includes classic games but once in a while you have to take a walk on the wild side. Like watching Mad Max Fury Road for a change. That's a modern classic right there.

I like to think that Millennium will become a modern classic game in its own right someday. I designed it with that thought in mind so the game does have many classic themes and scenes that resonate and are familiar to many players.

That's one thing to keep in mind when you design a board game of any kind. It's best if a new game has familiar mechanics and themes that all players can relate to. I've always been fond of stories that take you back in time and so that's a big part of Millennium, as the cover shows.

But the game is about so much more than visiting the past as it explores Earth's possible future, which is a hopeful one. The themes and plot devices run deep in the game and so it is also more than a search and rescue game. Millennium lives and plays on many levels and draws you in and takes you in many directions. There are many choices and you'll have plenty of decisions to make along the way so its many adventures are unpredictable.

It's going to be an exciting game and I really look forward to announcing when the game is finally done. Soon. Hopefully very soon.

Meanwhile, let's be safe out there.

Hill Street Blues. (Google it youngbloods.)

COVID-19 And The Apocalypse - Just Ask Robert De Niro

Like most Americans, I'm stuck at home trying to find myself amid this COVID-19 chaos. But in all fairness, I've been stuck at home, half-crippled for the past 13 years after my brush with death of another kind back in 2007.

But that's another story for another time. Right now, the world is standing still; waiting for who knows what else. I happened to catch Robert De Niro last night on CNN saying that this COVID-19 virus is like a bad movie. I get that same feeling because it just seems unreal when you see the barren streets of Times Square and other big cities, like ghost towns.

How did we get here?

I've seen enough boring bookcases lately.

It's a double whammy for me but nevertheless, I go on with my life as we all must go on with our daily routines, masks firmly in place. Either find a hobby or load a gun. I stopped watching television altogether, except for an occasional good movie that comes around. You know, it's mostly re-runs these days. Not that Hollywood wasn't already rebooting every show known to humankind before the virus. As for the live shows from home. No thanks, I've seen enough boring bookcases lately. It's all horrible and unwatchable.

The late-night shows were horrible before the virus with all the ass-kissing hosts on full display, night after night. Always trying to be so damn nice and proper as if their guests are so delicate and vulnerable to life's hard truths. It's appalling what this world, especially the entertainment industry has come to these days. There's no edge. No honesty in anything they say or how they present it. They are absolutely unwatchable ass kissers, panderers, and politically correct left-wingers. A bunch of sore losers who still can't get over Trump being president.

Get over it people. The son-of-a-bitch will most likely win another 4 years. I'm pretty much apolitical in case you haven't noticed by now. And forget Bernie Sanders. He seems to mean well, but it's all just a scam. Like most politicians, he just uses politics as a publicity platform. It's a disgrace.

What else can I say?

It seems the apocalypse has snuck up on us and delivered it's first glancing blow as we await its full fury in the form of nuclear war. What else can we expect? Is COVID-19 the beginning of the end? Who knows?

I can't call it. It's anyone's guess at this point. We'll have to go along for the ride of our lives and see where all this takes us.

Hopefully, it leaves us in a better place providing we can survive it. From De Niro's point of view, we're all stuck in a movie scenario, something unreal.

Except that COVID-19 is very real.

So suck it up buttercup and deal with it, people.

Deal with it!

New Post-Apocalyptic Board Games - Baby Hitler?

New Post-Apocalyptic Board Games

Just when you thought it was safe to get into the water . . .

Hey folks, I've been burning the midnight oil and here's what I came up with so far.

I'm having a great time putting together the new Millennium expansion game, Manhunt in Berlin and Beyond. It's a bit of work since board games usually are but that's the fun part in so many ways; trying to figure out the best mechanics for the game and making it work.

Imagine if Adolph Hitler had escaped to Argentina back in 1945. That would be news indeed if we could prove it. Rumors of that kind started right after the end of WWII by the Russians and the fact that thousands of Nazi's fled to South America with the help of the Vatican, helps to fuel these rumors and inspire even more conspiracy theories.

That's the theme I based this new expansion game on and it should make for an interesting and fun game. What's fun about that war? That's where baby Hitler comes in. Here's a baby that only a mother could love. Imagine that.

So there's a funny angle I can't pass up and the expression on his face says it all. He already might have been planning something sinister for sure.

You just can't make this stuff up. BTW, that's a clipping of Hitler's real mustache. (Needs some trimming) Yes, I am very dedicated to my craft.

I hadn't planned on showing this game card but how can I resist? That haircut alone is priceless. Okay, this is hard to top so I'll end it here. I'm not sure how I'll use this baby Hitler photo yet but I'll come up with something. Or better yet, if you guys can come up with a funny gag for it, please let me know and I'll use it.

Baby Hitler

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Meanwhile, I'll get back to work on this baby Hitler card and see what I come up with.

Maybe I'll take it back to when the photo was taken and have his mother say something revealing and funny.

The possibilities are endless. Stay tuned for the final version of the Baby Hitler game card, coming soon.

Auf Wiedersehen!