Disappointing Free Comic Book Day

I've been a customer of Worlds Best Comics in Sacramento California since the 80's. After today's incident I won’t be returning.

According to the Free Comic Book Day website -

"Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local shop for their participation and rules."

Today, my son and I went to Worlds Best Comics and Toys (2608 Watt Ave. Sacramento, Ca.) for "Free Comic Book Day", when I asked if they had any of the  Free Comic Book Day Heroclix figures, the sales clerk stated that they did but we had to buy $10.00 worth of merchandise in order to get one for free. 

I can understand a one per customer rule or a first come first served rule, but to make someone pay for the privilege of a free item seems to me a serious breach of the spirit of the entire event.

"The sales clerk said that the figure was "free", we just had to spend $10.00 in store to get it.

I put the comics I was going to purchase back on the shelf and my son and I left without the Heroclix.  It wasn't about the money, over the years I have spent hundreds of dollars there, it was the principle.

As a father it was difficult to see the disappointed look on my sons face, but I also felt it was an important lesson for him, about sticking to a principle.  

The Lost Spitfire Squadron: A pulp adventure ripped from the headlines

The setting is post WWII Asia, Specifically the (fictitious) tiny kingdom of Tong-Kai. Tong-Kai is being pushed around by a larger aggressive neighbor-the Republic of Somoy (also fictitious).


Several of the kingdoms agents have been recruiting pilots from the region (mostly down and out ex-RAF or U.S. Army Air corps Pilots) to help build an air force. When the pilots meet at the requisite seedy bar, they are met by a former RAF Colonel. and briefed on the mission:
To trek into the jungle and retrieve a squadron of Spitfires that were hidden in the jungle during the war and forgotten. They have to trek in with batteries and fuel, build the planes, prepare a field, fly them back and hump the spare parts and extra ammo back to civilization.


When they get get back to the capital they then have to help fight off the invasion led by the mad dictator of Somoy.


During the trek there are wild animals, vicious bandits and headhunters, maybe even a platoon of Japanese who don't know the war has been over for five years. you could even toss in some Red Chinese or Russian spies.


With a little work this could be quite a fun mini campaign for either Dicey Tales or DOGS of War.


And the cool thing is it's very plausible:
http://patchesofpride.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/20-ww2-british-spitfires-discovered-in-burma/

Draft Cover for DT#2

Here is a draft of the new Dicey Tales #2 So far it has: 
A Bestiary for Dicey tales pulp games. 
A Dicey Tales Adventure 
A Barbarians of Lemuria Adventure 
A Legends of Steel Adventure 


And we are working on an article for Contacts in 1930's Pulp San Francisco. and a article of optional Pulp style boons. We have finally turned the corner and are into the home stretch with this issue!

Great fodder for a pulp game. Watch it on Netflix!

this movie is some way out there kind of fun. Manchuria in the 20's, trains, guns, cavalry charges, bandits, brothels, treasure maps,and motorcycles with sidecars. Perfect for Dicey Tales!


 

Playtime!

Well I just had a helluva time today. while continuing to set up my garage/game room/man-cave, I ran across an old Egyptian temple playset I bought several years ago. Now that I have the room for it I plan to paint it up and use it. In the mean time I grabbed a handful of Minis and had a bit of playtime.

These raiders mean business-they even brought their own Earth Elemental!

Changa's Safari

I ran across this title by accident, but it has become one of my favorite reads in recent memory. Changa's Safari is wonderful Sword & Sorcery storytelling set in a world right before our eyes but missed by all but a few. I was captured by the world and the characters from the very start and thoroughly entertained by the authors style and imagination. You can tell that Davis cares for these characters. There is one scene where the group suffers an attack and several porters are lost - Davis actually takes a moment to convey the grief over their loss- and you feel it. That is some wonderful writing. His characters are powerful, heroic and human. Changa is more than a sword-swinging action hero, he is a leader of men, men with families and responsibilities. He has to save the world from a demonic invasion, bring as many of these men home as he can,and still turn a profit at the end of the day. Changa's Safari is a wonderful book and I cant recommend it enough!

Things to do today:

Organize my new Lair.

BOSTON

The Seventies get dumped on a lot, but looking back it was the right decade for me to grow up in. Disco was everywhere but I would have none of it. I was a long haired Mexican kid in a Led Zeppelin tour jersey and proud of it. 

I was twelve when Boston released their first album. Like everyone who listened to Hard Rock FM radio, I remember being blown away by their sound. I also remember the agonizingly long wait for the second album ( I was the first among my friends to have a copy, on 8-track no less).  Everyone acknowledges "More than a feeling" and "Long time" as the hits from the Boston album, but I want to toss a shout-out to "Something about you"  a hard rocking song with great guitar work. A song made for  night time driving in the city.

From Aesgaard To Zingara Pt.4

From Aesgaard to Zingara Pt.3

From Aesgaard to Zingara Pt.2

From Aesgaard to Zingara Pt.1

Another Lazy Sunday Photodump