Blackjack (Signature Weapon)

 This is my new post in the Signature Weapons series. Today's weapon is an oldie: the blackjack. I don't think I have seen one in real life, but they do pop up from time to time in old crime fiction stories, generally in pulp stories. Generally wielded, as far as I remember, by villains, when they knock the hero unconscious with one. Because yes, it's a bludgeoning weapon. It's quite a nasty one too, from what I read, as it is capable of causing permanent injuries, even death. So don't let its small size fool you. Because it can easily be concealed, I can easily see it making a come back. I still think the blackjack fits a villain more than a hero. That said, I must make a confession here: there is one think I love about blackjack, and that its name. It just sound elegant and cool. Like the eponymous card game (which I think I played once or twice), it just has a sort of posh aura, in complete contrast with its true nature. This is another why I think it would fit a crime story nicely and enhances its atmosphere somehow.

Spy Secret Messages

I love Usborne books for children, and so does Wolfie, so I end up buying lots of them. And they have a handful of books of espionage games and activities. There is one we particularly like, especially when we travel, it's called Spy Secret Messages. It's a small pocket book, smaller than a pocket book actually, and it's all about deciphering spy codes and finding the meaning of messages. It's really great fun. The only drawback is that soon we will have finished every activity in the book. I guess I will need to find more gamebooks in the genre, from Usborne and others.

Shiny Gems

A few weeks ago, Wolfie and I went to the local toy shop. Not to buy anything, just to see what there was available, see if we could find as a present idea for the next birthday, or just the next special celebration. Every time we stop, I get a few pictures, as a reminder for the future. And this is one of the things that caught Wolfie's attention: a bag of "shiny gems". I can see rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. All in plastic. They'd make for great MacGuffins in some of our games, especially our Secret War Game. And for props at D&Dr. But the nicest thing about these shiny gems is that, unlike real ones, they're quite cheap.

The Shark's Mouth

We went to Brighton for a week. SO I took a few pictures, which I will share in the upcoming days and weeks. My wife had wanted to visit Brighton for a while, because it's meant to be a kind of hippy place with lots of veggie and vegan restaurants. Which is kind of true. Anyway, it's near the sea, which means the city has its share of sea and marine imagery. I took this picture by a minigolf. We didn't stop there, but I big scary shark, even if it's not a real one. It looks like a real one anyway.

Jouer aux pirates

 Cette photo a été prise à Sandown dans l'Isle of Wigh. C'était lors de notre première soirée. Je regardais mes vieilles photos de voyage il y a quelques jours et celle-ci m'a fait penser à ma propre enfance. Mon père avait une chaloupe qu'il utilisait pour aller pêcher le saumon, elle était dans la remise chez ma grand-mère. Quand il allait pêcher, il laissait la chaloupe quelques jours dans l'entrée de la maison. Nous passions alors plusieurs jours à jouer dedans, mes frères et moi. Et nous jouions toujours aux pirates. Le bateau avait à peu près la même grandeur que ce bateau-là. On pouvait passer des heures sur notre "bateau pirate," des scenarios très élaborés. Quand la chaloupe etait remisée à nouveau chez grand-maman, on continuait en faisant de la gallerie d'en avant le bateau.

Tomahawk (Signature Weapon)

 Here is another post in my new Signature Weapons series, about weapons that ought to be seen in crime fiction, either used by the heroes or villains, as a signature weapon. So today I want to blog about the tomahawk. Not the missile, but the Native American axe. As a child, I grew kinda obsessed by it when I saw Disney's Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier. I thought it just looked so cool. So I made it one of my characters' signature weapon in some of our games. My parents had bought a few wooden toys, if I remember well. Now, the tomahawk still exists, although it is more often used as a tool than a weapon. Some look like plain hatchets, some look like they have been forged near Mount Doom. Be that as it may, I am ware that a tomahawo might not be the most practical weapon, even in close quarters. All the same, I would like to see it in a modern crime fiction setting as a signature weapon.

The Waiting Game (A Birthday Memory)

As it is often the case, my last birthday and recent celebration made me think of the birthdays of my past, from a long time ago. The birthdays of yesteryear, if you will. When I was a child, we I  often celebrated our birthdays the weekend before or after it, generally the weekend after. We had a small celebration on the date itself, but the big party was at the weekend. We invited family, especially our cousins. That was before the internet, before the overbearing presence of screens, before the multiple television channels. After breakfast and the morning cartoons, my brothers and I waited for the guests to come. But we were not bored. We played a sort of waiting game, hiding behind the living room sofa by the window, often with toy guns, as if we were secret agents, smugglers or mercenary soldiers in a secret hideout, waiting for our contacts or allies to show up. We used to peak out, checking through the window that was facing the street, checking every car driving by. The excitement and anticipation of this "Waiting Game" were just as entertaining as the party itself. In fact, it's a ritual I now remember more than many birthday parties we hosted.

D&Dr: Downtime

 This picture is (as far as I know) of Dave Dorman, taken from the Dungeon Master's Guide of the second edition of laying Dungeons & Dragons. I always loved it. Anyway, comes a time in a D&Dr campaign when you don't play much. You have been running it for a while, had a few big adventures, the characters have progressed, got stronger, more powerful, and you feel like you are out of ideas. It often happens round this time of year, from my experience anyway. It is therefore time for downtime, and brainstorm your player(s) for inspiration. Any story suggestions from my readers are of course welcome.

P'tit Train du Nord

 Il se vend bien des niaiseries chez Archambault, mais aussi des affaires cutes. Comme ceci. J'ai acheté ce napperon pour petit loup, et un peu pour moi aussi. C'est à la fois mignon et éducatif, devrais-je ajouter. Et c'est aussi un jeu cherche et trouve.

Mexican Train Dominoes

I am always on the lookout for new games to play, especially new board games, even though we don't have much room here to store them. Or play them. All the same, I go to the local toys shop sometimes and I get curious. I found one a few months ago, Mexican Train Dominoes. Now, I only played dominoes a few times. I do like the aesthetic of it, but that's not what I like here. It has trains in it. Trains. So... yeah. I might put it on my birthday list.

Mille/1000 Bornes

Une petite nouvelle sans vraie importance: j'ai retrouvé le jeu de Mille Bornes que ma femme m'avait acheté pour ma fête en 2022. C'est bien, je vais pouvoir jouer avec petit loup. Je crois qu'il comprendra mieux les règles et aura plus de plaisir à jouer qu'il y a quatre ans. Mille Bornes a été l'un des jeux de société de mon enfance. Bien que je n'aie pas autant joué avec que d'autres, notamment parce que l'on n'avait pas notre propre Mille Bornes, j'ai quand même de bons souvenirs. Lire ce billet pour plus de détails. Il serait temps de le revisiter, notamment lors des vacances de Pâques de petit loup.

Classic Games Compendium

During on eof my last visits to the local toy shop, I saw this board games box. A Classic Games Compendium, with "over 100 classic family games." That is a lot of games for a single box, maybe too many. I mean, is the rulebook as big as a dictionary? And what if it is in many languages? I can see just on the cover checkers, chess, dominoes and backgammon. My grandmother had a special board like this, with many games included in it, but a handful, not a hundred. It might be practical, but I kind of prefer to have a good set of each.

Le Concorde en Lego

Lors de notre voyage l'an dernier, dans l'un des magasins de l'aéroport, une boîte Lego a capturé mon attention. C'était, comme vous le voyez, un Concorde en Lego. Il ne vole plus, mais aumoins on a des modèles à construire. C'est quand même une merveille de la technologie (je parle du vrai Concorde, pas de celui en Lego). Je sais qu'il y a pleins de raisons pour sa mise au rencart, mais je suis toujours un peu triste qu'on n'ait pas continué à l'utiliser. J'ai quand même été chanceux pour le voir en service à une certaine époque.

Ludo

 There are some classic board games which I don't know much about, except that there are classic games. This is the case for Ludo. I am not even sure I played it as a child. I think a friend of mine may have had a Ludo and we may or may not have played it. I do know it is a variant of the much older Parcheesi. I did play Parcheesi, a bit, but I don't remember much about it either, except that I was a tad bored with it. It had a nice board though. Ludo's board is bit bare. Also, I like board games with elements of drama and role play (Cluedo, Scotland Yard). But it might be a good game for Wolfie, so I might put it on my birthday list. What do you think? Anyone played Ludo among you? What did you think of it?

Labyrinth (the board game)

You know I love board games, although I seldom play them anymore. Well, I Wolfie and I received at Christmas Labyrinth. I have been curious about it since childhood. It's a medieval fantasy themed game set in a maze, where the walls change. If you ever played it, tell me about your experience in the feedback. I think it will be great fun, and it might also give us some inspiration for future games in our D&Dr campaign.

Buffaloes and Westerns

I took this picture at a Smith and Western restaurant last year during a family gathering on my wife's side. This is one of these many nice props that makes the chain a truly imaginative experience for a child. Going there reminded me of my old childhood games, when we played cowboys. Buffaloes are a staple of westerns, they are one of the animals one associates with the Wild West and all its dangers. I'd go to a Buffalo Gap Hotel just for a drink (a shot of bourbon?) in its saloon. You?

I have the Orient Express

 Well, not quite. I mean I don't haave share in the company (because yes, you can still travel on it), or own a wagon of the Orient Express, but you remember the Orient Express jigsaw puzzle? I have been obsessing about for a few years now. Well, my wife bought it for me for Christmas. 1000 pieces, this may be beyond my skills, but I will sure try to do it.

Backgammon, Checkers and Chess Board

 I took this picture a few weeks ago, when I saw this board through a shop window. As you can see, it is a backgammon board, but there are also checkers and chess pieces. So I suspect the other side of the board allows you to play the other games. My grandma had a similar board, that was gigantic. One side was for chess, the other was for various board games. We loved it. I like the idea of a single set for various classic board games, especially when it looks fancy like this one. It looks as an elegant piece of furniture and gives a room character. If money and space were no objection, I'd buy it.

Railway "Action" Figures

 Every Christmas at home, since I am a child, we have the LGB model train at the foot of the Christmas tree. We have been having it for more than thirty years. We also have from early on LGB train figures. This is the very first set we've had: the 5045 one. It consists of a mechanic, a hot dog/burher salesman, a waiter and a signalman (I thinik?). When Iw as a child, the waiter was my favourite figure, for some reason. These people lived many adventures on the railway, fighting villains and spies, going from place to place, they really are adventurers as much as railway or train staff. We still play with them from time to time. Sadly, we lost the waiter and we cannot find him anymore. If I can find an affordable one second hand, I might buy a new waiter one day.

Christmas Activities

Sometimes, I buy things for Wolfie, but truly, I buy them for me. I went to town a few days ago, and I saw Usborne Christmas Activities in a shop. I bought it right away. It is a great book of games for the Christmas holidays, but it can also be used as a sort of Advent calendar. It should keep us entertained until Christmas, in any case.