So The Punisher is now a Frankenstein-style monster in the mainstream Marvel Comics.  It’s pretty weird, but considering it’s one of the few mainstream Marvel Comics I’m enjoying, I can live with it.  It helps that I am a big monster fan, and that anything with Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and The Living Mummy is A-OK in my universe.  The first story arc was a bit bloodier than I would’ve liked, but that’s a ridiculous complaint when we’re talking about a vigilante who is defined by his merciless talent for killing people.

The only downside is that in a few months, The Punisher will be confronting Wolverine Jr., the guy who sliced him to pieces.  I just don’t like Wolvie Jr.  He’s a dumb idea.  And one of his claws comes directly out of his wrists.  Wouldn’t that be awkward as hell?  Of course, he’s also got tribal tattoos, which make him look way too 90′s.  And wouldn’t Wolverine Jr.’s healing ability make tattoos impossible?

I’m not a fan of spinoff characters that are basically identical to the original.  Never liked War Machine for this reason.  Or Venom.  Or Wolverine Jr.  Or Girl Wolverine.  After a while, it just succeeds in making the original character seem less special.  But Wolverine Jr. is especially dumb because he’s the “dark” version.  Isn’t Original Flavor Wolverine supposed to be the dark version of superheroes to begin with?  Or have we become so jaded now that the brutal berserker with the power to stab people isn’t dark enough?  Don’t answer that.  Either answer would just make me sad.

Oh, right.  This was supposed to be a pithier, more positive post.  Sorry about that.

Beta Ray Bill is a spinoff character I can get behind.  For those not in the know, Beta Ray Bill is an alien horseman with the power of Thor.  He’s pretty much Thor, but in space.  Not only does he get his own cool magic hammer, but he also gets a spaceship.  So, yeah, he’s awesome.

Bought a new book today.  Last Call by Daniel Okrent.  It’s about Prohibition.  Haven’t read much yet, but what I’ve read, I’ve liked.

Okay, well, guess it’s time to get back to work.  Catch you later, gang.

Fighting the good fight, Writing the good write,

Lee

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of this game, each player takes on the role of a unique hero, exploring a 19th century village, looking for clues, fighting monsters, and ultimately hunting for the dark master villain.  Maybe it’s a vampire or a werewolf or a spectral horseman.  Whatever it is, it’s evil and somebody’s gotta stop it.  What makes A Touch of Evil fun is that, while it’s a simple game, your strategy and tactics vary based on your hero and the villain they face.  Also, you can play the game competatively (trying to be the first to kill the bad guy) or co-op, where all the players are teamed up trying to save the day.

I played A Touch of Evil a few times and enjoyed it.  Then I just put it aside and kind of forgot about it because…well, you probably know if you’re a regular BGG visitor how it is.  You buy a new game that pushes the others to the background.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Still, A Touch of Evil is a fun game.  And I realize every time I play it that I actually like it quite a bit.  But somehow, I forget and it ends up back on the shelf.  Which is weird.  It’s like a dark magic casts a spell over me, making me forget how much I enjoy the game until I actually get around to opening the box and playing it again.  Then it’s like, hey, this is a fun game! I should play it more often!

Which is why I’m glad that Something Wicked came out because it gives me a reason to dust this game off and play it again.

When I first saw Something Wicked in the store, I wasn’t sure I wanted it.  I didn’t buy any expansions for Last Night on Earth.  And I hadn’t played A Touch of Evil often enough to get burnt out on it yet.  But then I took a look at the box.  Specifically the back of the box.

Bog Fiend.

That’s all it took to convince me.  I’ve always been a fan of the Universal monsters and the gilman is an underrated horror if you ask me.  So the fact that Flying Frog thought well enough of this guy to include him in their expansion…how could I resist?

But what else is in this box that makes it worth buying?

Something Wicked introduces 4 new heroes, 4 new villains, and adds a new map, doubling the size of the board and adding new locations.  In short, it makes a good game better.

Something Wicked adds more content to A Touch of Evil, but it doesn’t really include a bunch of new rules to learn or modify the game in any radical way.  So if you don’t like A Touch of Evil then this expansion probably isn’t going to win you over.  On the other hand, if you enjoy the game but are looking for a new villain to test your resolve and some new encounters to spice up your game, this is a pretty solid investment.

I’m glad I bought it, but, to be honest, it could’ve added nothing but the Bog Fiend and I’d probably have been happy.

P.S. The new Hero Pack released simultaneously features a hero named The Scarlet Shadow, infamous highwayman and rogue.  Damn.  Looks like I just might have to pick that one up too.

Clive Cussler likes to put himself in his books too.  And I’m not talking about a stand in.  I’m talking about Cussler, the novelist, appearing in and advancing the story.  Always struck me as a bit weird.  Heck, Stephen King did the same thing, right?  Although King didn’t glamorize himself, that’s still a bit of an ego stroke, no matter how you want to look at it.  And, hey, there’s nothing terribly wrong with that.  Most writers are human, and most humans have their moments of insecurity.

I don’t think I’ve ever put myself in a book.  Not yet anyway.  But I’m just as guilty of inserting idealized alternate character versions of myself.  Maybe it’s just not as obvious because my ideals are different.  I would honestly love to be a seven foot tall, indestructible robot detective.  No question about it.  And I’d settle for being a talking gorilla in a pinch.  I’m not sure I’d care to be a gawky vampire, but if tomorrow I woke up and discovered myself a pudgy, badass werewolf, I could cope.

Not that every book features a character I would want to be.  There’s no stand in for yours truly in OGRES, WITCH, CURSES, or MONSTER.  Even the characters I like in those stories have no fantasy “I want to be them” appeal.

But it is funny how the same idea can manifest in different ways.  In WoW, I love the tauren, the race of hulking minotaurs belonging to The Horde.  Hands down, they’re my favorite race of all the WoW choices.  A big reason The Horde appeals to me at all is because they are the monster-type races.  Except for the blood elves, who only prove that sticking “blood” in front of “elves” still doesn’t make elves cool.  (Just kiddin’, Horde buddies.)

I’ve been meaning to create an Alliance character, but I just can’t get into them.  They’re just . . . too human.  They have the drenai, the monster-ish race of the Alliance.  And they are monster-ish, but they’ve got human faces, which kind of drops the ball for me.  I’m aware of the superficiality of that.  The races in WoW are just window dressing.  They don’t have a significant impact on gameplay.  Except for maybe gnomes, who are tiny and can be difficult to click on, I suppose.  But that’s about it.

 Though I don’t see the appeal of blood elves myself, I know that my preference for hulking minotaurs is no more enlightened than someone who wants to play a blonde-haired, green-eyed waif.  It’s just a superficial preference, a quirk.  Does it make me weird?  No, because now that I’m a world-renowned novelologist, I get to be “eccentric”, instead of weird.  And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.

Fighting the good fight, Writing the good write,

Lee