#The Compleat Strategist

[oldschoolfrp]

The war rig "Ethel" hauls another load of Car Wars supplements through the wasteland to The Compleat Strategist (ad in Autoduel Quarterly V1, N3, Steve Jackson Games, November 1983)

[whatsthatmagiccard]

Ongoing list of the cards under the MB2 playtest cards, as per the official card image gallery. Just text. There's so many. Somebody go put these into the Scryfall Tagger like they did last time.

Interestingly, not all cards that directly reference another make the backing card visible as part of the joke (see Intangible Vibes).

If there wasn't a direct reference, usually, they just used the most recent card they had that fit the frame. Unique cards are bolded.

A Girl and Her Dogs + Abbot of the Sacred Meeple + Defender of the Queue + Jeskai Baller + Knight of Lost Causes + Noble Ox + Plain Walker + Sliver of Hope + Tax Taker -> Phyrexian Pegasus (MOM)

Arcanum Things + Avacyn's Collar, the Symbol of Her Church -> Kor Halberd (MOM)

Brigid, Who's Seen Some Stuff -> Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile (LRW)

Champion of the Hareish -> Champion of the Parish (DDQ)

Essence of Ajani + Friarball -> Surge of Salvation (MOM)

Intangible Vibes -> Intangible Virtue (ONC)

Muraganda Eldrazi -> Eldrazi Displacer (OGW)

New Master of Arms -> Master of Arms (WTH)

Alberix, the Trade Planet + Duelist's Convocation International + Heart of a Duelist + Map to Lorthos's Temple + Two by Four -> Temporal Cleansing (MOM)

Blurry Visionary + Catch of the Day + No-Regrets Egret + Panglacial Shinobi + Search Elemental -> Preening Champion (MOM)

Can't Quite Recall -> Ancestral Vision (TSR)

Night of the Flying Merfolk -> Kiora Bests the Sea God (THB)

Subgoyf -> Sharding Sphinx (MOC)

There / They're / Their -> Said / Done (MH2)

(Wisedrafter's Will is inconclusive; digital print)

(Your Wish is My Command is inconclusive)

(Call from the Grave is inconclusive, though likely Call to the Grave (SCG))

Cleaver Blow + Common Black Removal + Halving Season + TL;DR + You Compleat Me -> Vanquish the Weak (MOM)

Creepy Crawler + Lifening Elemental + Magus of the Chains + Pinchy McStingbutt -> Nezumi Informant (MOM)

Lich's Duel Mastery -> Lich's Mastery (DOM)

Liliana's Other Contract / Liliana's Undead Minion -> Grasping Shadows (LCI)

Odric, Lunar Marquis + Toofer, Keeper of the Full Grip -> Syr Konrad, the Grim (likely MOC)

The Many Deeds of Belzenlok -> Rite of Belzenlok (DOM)

Yawgmoth's Day Planner -> Witch's Cauldron (CMM)

All-Star Kicker + Boulder Jockey -> Trailblazing Historian (MOM)

Bolshak Dragon -> Shivan Dragon (M20)

Boltfire -> Firebolt (MH1)

(Dwarven Confluencer is inconclusive)

(Flanking Licid is inconclusive, but likely Convulsing Licid (STH) or Enraging Licid (TMP))

Gobland -> The Autonomous Furnace (ONE)

Immerstum Battlefield + Planeswalkerificate + Snap Judgement + Toddler's Rage -> Volcanic Spite (MOM)

Pyromancy 101 -> Start From Scratch (STX)

Vuzzle Spaceship -> Shrapnel Slinger (ONE)

Wormhole Warp -> Chaos Warp (likely MOC)

(Zone of Flame is inconclusive)

(Built Bear is inconclusive)

Dairy Cow, Flavor Nightmare, Phyrexian Seedling, Spuzzem Strategist, Starting Town NPC -> War Historian (MOM)

Glade of the Pump Spells -> The Hunter Maze (ONE)

Keeper of the Crown / Coronation of the Wilds -> Lovestruck Beast / Heart's Desire (ELD, showcase)

Meandered Towershell -> Meandering Towershell (KTK)

Naturalize 2 -> Naturalize (M19)

Penumbra Umbra -> Penumbra Spider (MM3)

Plant a Sapling / Fully-Grown Treefolk -> Herbology Instructor (MOM)

Questing Cosplayer -> Questing Beast (ELD)

Teferi, Druid of Argoth -> Surrak and Goreclaw (MOM)

The Colossal Dreadmaw -> Colossal Dreadmaw (XLN)

Werewhat -> Tireless Hauler / Dire-Strain Brawler (MID)

Wrenn and One -> Wrenn and Realmbreaker (MOM)

Anax and Cymede & Kynaios and Tiro + Convention Maro + Chea, Friend to Maybe Too Many + Hish of the Snake Cult + Wowzer, the Aspirational -> Niv-Mizzet, Supreme (MAT)

Chatzuk, Mighty Guitarist -> Melira, the Living Cure (ONE)

Don't Worry About It -> Growth Spiral (DMC)

Fludge, Gunk Guardian -> Yargle and Multani (MOM)

Glimpse, the Unthinkable -> Hidetsugu and Kairi (MOM)

Jund 'Em Out -> Rebuild the City (MAT)

Lutri, Pauper Otter -> Lutri, the Spellchaser (IKO)

Mothers Yamazaki -> Djeru and Hazoret (MOM)

Narod, the Beige Flower -> Doran, the Seige Tower (LRW)

Pokey, the Scallywagg + Terry Pin, Turboturtle -> Baral and Kari Zev (MOM)

Rin and Seri, Inseperabler -> Rin and Seri, Inseperable (M20)

Stone Drake -> Halo Forager (MOM)

Wrath of Finkel -> Shadowmage Infiltrator (inconclusive)

Indicate -> Vindicate (EMA)

Kozilek, Compleated -> Kozilek, Butcher of Truth (ROE)

Marchesa's Surprise Party + Rule with an Even Hand -> Sovereign's Realm (CN2)

Omnipresent Impostor -> Farfinder (IKO)

Who's That Praetor? -> All Is Dust (UMA)

Luxior, Ignited -> Luxior, Giada's Gift (SNC)

Microscope -> Urn of Godfire (MOM)

(Mox Poison is inconclusive)

(Orb of Origin is inconclusive)

Runed Terror -> Skittering Surveyor (MOM)

Fetching Garden -> Blossoming Sands (MOM)

Lazotep Archway -> Scoured Barrens (MOM)

Madlands -> Bloodfell Caves (MOM)

Maestros' Totally Safe Hideout + Omenpath to Naya + Processing Plant + Temur Elevator + Under-Construction Skyscraper -> Jeskai Monastery (MOC)

Slumbering Waterways -> Thornwood Falls (MOM)

The Heron Moon -> Geier Reach Sanitarium (CMM)

Value Town / Take a Trip To... -> Swiftwater Cliffs (MOM)

[ask-the-praetors]

Hace and Vraska probably told you of a plane called Ravnica... Front what you've heard about it's guilds, has any of them caught the interest of the glorious Praetors? Perhaps one that roughly resembles your ideologies

War reports state that the subdivision of Ravnican fleshling society calling themselves the "Simic" come closest to understanding the perfection of compleation. They are... salvageable, if one corrects their erroneous reliance upon sculpting flesh. I am far too crucial a strategist to waste time with individual assets, of course, but Phyrexian surgeons have made significant progress reeducating our many willing converts. -J

GRUUL SMASH. -V

[commandtower-solring-go]

So, as for credit cards in the US, your debit card should be fine, depending on the provider (everywhere accepts MasterCard and Visa, and Discover is slightly less universal but still good). Almost all stores will accept cash and card, and there are more cash only stores (usually privately owned convenience stores and the like) than card only stores (usually hip, overpriced, mediocre restaurants).

If you're going to New York City, I'd recommend checking out Burger Joint. The burgers are very good, the fries are not, and the experience of getting there is a fun treat. It's pretty close to the south end of Central Park.

The best pizza is Artichoke Pizza. It's a local chain and they have locations in a couple of convenient places. Their artichoke and spinach pizza is delicious, but their Margherita pizza is the best I've ever had.

There's also Compleat Strategist, which is a game store near the Empire State Building. You'll find a lot of old, rare board games and RPG books there. Just keep in mind it's small and usually crowded after 3 PM and the staff is very likely to yell at you.

Hope this helps!

The idea that I might get yelled at is actively horrifying wtf. But also thank god they can yell at people because if a store I owned was crowded and some dipshit tourist tried to take the floor I'd crack the shits too.

Also regarding the money, yeah cash might actually be the big adjustment. Everything here is card. And its actually most small boutiques or stalls that don't carry cash at all.

Maybe NYC. I'm going for personal reasons and I'm not a big tourist. So normal ass 'down the road' place recommendations are also very welcome.

To that end. If you're ever in Geelong. Bliss Icecream has the single best cinnamon dounut ice cream you'll ever eat. Which is saying a lot for Geelong.

[vintagerpg]

Welcome to Atlantis!

This is The Arcanum, the main rulebook for Stephen Michael Sechi and Vernie Taylor’s 1984 derivative D&D RPG set in Atlantis before its sinking (this is the 1985 revision).

The Atlantis setting was born out of Bard Games first trio of books – the Compleat Alchemist, Compleat Adventurer and Compleat Spell Caster (so named because of the early support the publisher got from the famed Compleat Strategist store in New York City). Sechi combined the best material from these three books into The Arcanaum, The Lexicon and The Bestiary (the latter two I don’t own, alas).

As I mentioned, it is essentially a generic D&D hack, borrowing a good amount of DNA from David Hargrave’s Arduin Trilogy. The big mechanical difference that separates Atlantis from D&D is the skill system and the point-based character creation. That’s in line with much of what was on the market at the time – everyone, it seemed, was creating “generic” RPG material that was bought and sold with the expectation it would be bolted on to existing homebrew D&D campaigns.

What’s interesting about Atlantis is the setting. It is…strange. A lot of thought went into the idea of Atlantis before the fall, its magic systems and the sorts of people who lived there – the latter producing over 30 different character classes. That quirkiness, and Atlantis’ location in our world, makes the inclusion of typical fantasy races like Elves and Dwarves feel a bit jarring.

Sechi must have thought so, too, judging from his next RPG. Atlantis would shortly form the foundation for something infinitely more unique…

[sylphidine]

[ROTG] A Frost and Pitchiner Christmas Production

It’s that time of year again, time for the @rotgsecretsanta 2021 Stocking Stuffer event.

This is based on prompt#14: “Gift shopping! Modern AU: It’s Jack’s first Christmas with his new boyfriend, Pitch, and his daughter Seraphina. Cue panic in searching for ‘the perfect gift’. Could be Jack and Sera shopping for Pitch, Pitch and Sera shopping for Jack, or Jack and Pitch shopping for Sera (or all three!). “

Manhattan, December 5, 1981

"I need a beard."

Seraphina stopped pulling her masses of blue-black hair out from the collar of the coat she'd thrust herself into. She turned her head to Jack and quipped back, as they headed towards the subway station, "Well, we’ll be passing Trash/Vaudeville at some point, you can pick one up there."

"I'm serious, Sera. I need you to give me… I dunno, some kind of protective colouration in some of these stores. Does that make sense?"

"Jack, we're heading to the East Village. No one is going to care if you're buying a Christmas present for your girlfriend, your boyfriend, or your flamingo." She slung her arm over the shorter man's shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, I'm perfectly happy to be your wingman for holiday shopping. But you know my dad is going to LOVE anything you get him."

Jack answered quietly. "No, actually, I don't know that.  I don’t know that at all."

She gave him another squeeze, then dashed ahead of him down the station steps and towards the turnstile.

They got out at 59th Street and headed towards Fifth Avenue. Seraphina had their itinerary all planned out, and Jack was content to let her be the guide. When he'd asked why they didn't take the train all the way downtown, she'd replied cheekily, "It's the journey, not the destination."

Now, as they walked down crowded sidewalks, he realised that Sera had had the right idea. The department store holiday windows just by themselves started making him feel like… well, like a kid at Christmas! And an idea for a gift for Pitch [he was still getting used to the idea of calling Pitch his boyfriend] started taking form.

The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building were both in view as block after block disappeared under their feet. Jack was happy that he could keep up with Seraphina's stride. He had never minded his own five-foot-nine height until he'd started dating six-foot-four Pitch and, consequently, had met Pitch's six-foot-one, nineteen-year-old daughter.

He had mentally compartmentalised away the fact that Sera was only five years younger than he was, as well as the fact that Pitch had been a year younger than Jack was now when Sera was born.  Jack had enough insecurities to deal with as he got ready for his first term at the Parsons School of Design, which would start in January. He would be older than so many of his classmates; not that he could have helped the delay, because of Emma…

Jack’s reverie was broken by Seraphina pulling on his hand and dragging him towards a storefront with all the energy and enthusiasm of a toddler. He barely had time to look up at the sign - The Compleat Strategist - before he was yanked through the doors.

His first reaction was “wow”. There were more board games, card games, pewter figurines, and multi-sided dice than he had ever seen crammed into one small space.  The second thing he noticed was that Seraphina was the only female shopper, and since she towered over most of the crowd, it was even more obvious.

Nothing ever stopped Pitch’s daughter when she wanted something. “I know exactly what to get Dad.” She made her way unerringly to a bookcase labelled “Avalon Hill”, ran her fingers over the spines, and pulled out a boxed set, showing it to Jack. “This is the one!”  A scene in sepia brown and military blue, two frigates from the Golden Age Of Sail, adorned the lid of the game box. The title was WOODEN SHIPS AND IRON MEN.

Jack laughed, delighted. “Oh man, that’s perfect.”

Seraphina gave him a grin in return. “Isn’t it, though. And it’s a bit of a present for me, too, since it needs at least three people to play it well.”

“Oooh. Savvy.”

“Anything you want?”

“Nah, I’ll come back if I do.”

“Suit yourself.”  She brought her purchase to the counter and fended off the awkward flirting of the [male] cashier with ease. Retrieving her backpack from the front hold area, Seraphina asked, “Star Magic first, or Dosanko’s?”

“You even have to ask? Dosanko’s! But we’re going Dutch, kiddo.”

“Sure thing, old man.”

They headed across the street to the Japanese “fast food” franchise that had outlets springing up all over Manhattan. They sat down with their giant bowls of kata yakisoba and happily slurped up soy-spiced noodles in an oniony broth, uncovering the huge portion of meat and vegetables underneath. For $3.00, you couldn’t beat it.

When Jack and Seraphina hit the streets again, it had begun snowing lightly. They scampered down the cross-streets to get away from the wind, laughing and making jokes about the upcoming snowball wars.

They went to four more shops before they took another break. At Star Magic they pooled their money to buy a miniature reproduction of an armillary sphere for Pitch’s desk at work. At Rivendell, after taking tea with the owner. Eileen Campbell-Gordon, they bought a gift certificate and watched her write Pitch’s name in flawless calligraphy on the envelope. At Love Saves The Day, Seraphina bought presents for her roommates Sandy and Thiana, while Jack paid quiet attention to whatever Sera gravitated towards. And at Sounds, Seraphina bought herself a poster of Philippe Halsman’s Dali Atomicus, while Jack finally made an independent purchase of two vinyl albums, although he claimed it was for school, not for Christmas. 

“You still haven’t gotten a Christmas present that’s just yours for Dad, though, Jack,” she said as she led the way down the stairs into The Grass Roots Tavern, which nestled below Sounds and abutted Trash/Vaudeville.

“Oh, don’t worry, I will,” he reassured her. They ordered two coffees and grabbed the front window booth. Seraphina handed Jack her backpack to guard while she used the unisex restroom, and then Jack did the same when she got back to the table.

Sera wouldn’t drop the topic. “C’mon, give me just a little hint.”

“Nope.”

She raised one elegant eyebrow, looking so much like her father for a minute that Jack’s heart cramped.  She took a sip of the bitter coffee, then leaned back and crossed her arms, scowling at him so ferociously that he just had to laugh.  How had he gotten so lucky to have both these wonderful Pitchiners in his life?

December 12, 1981

Kozmotis Pitchiner wrapped his black scarf twice around his neck and tucked the fringed ends into the neck of his black peacoat. He locked the door to their apartment and went to join Seraphina at the elevator; she was literally jumping up and down in her impatience.  He couldn’t resist saying to her, “How old are you, anyway? Five?”

She retorted, “And how old are you? Five billion?  Let’s go let’s go let’s go!” The elevator arrived and Sera jumped in to press the button to keep the doors open. Pitch followed her, shaking his head.

Down in the lobby of Clifton House, they both greeted Dennis at the reception desk; he’d already called a cab for them. Getting in after Seraphina, Pitch directed the driver to an address on Canal Street.

“You’re sure about this, Sera?  It seems rather… obvious. Not to mention impersonal.”

“Daaaa-aad. Trust me. This place is art supply heaven, and anything you buy from there will say to Jack, ‘I believe in you!’ If there’s anything Jack wants and needs right now, it’s to be believed in.”

“Hmmmph.”

They got out of the cab about twenty minutes later at Pearl Paint, which occupied the full five stories of the building. Pitch leaned his head back to look up and commented drily, “Well, that’s daunting.”

Seraphina took his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Don’t gawk, darling father. It’s tres gauche, and makes you look like a tourist.”

“Don’t scold, darling daughter, or I’ll be forced to return your present.”

“Ooooh, then you admit you got me a present! Very well, then. Pax!”  

They headed inside.

December 19, 1981

Jack envied how smooth Dennis at the reception desk at Clifton House was in everything he did, from slotting letters into the mail cubby behind him to how he spoke on the telephone.  Jack could only hope to have that kind of polish and savoir-faire when HE was in his sixties.

Now Dennis put the phone down and nodded to Jack, his eyes twinkling behind half-moon glasses. “Mister Pitchiner will be right down.” And less than five minutes later Pitch strode into the lobby.  No public displays of affection from the stern ex-military man, but Jack knew that the light in Pitch’s eyes was all for him.  He hugged that knowledge to himself and smiled up at the taller man. “I presume you have a battle plan?”

“Indeed I do,” Pitch replied as they exited through the revolving doors to the street. “With your reconnaissance last week, I think there are a few of your suggestions I can implement.”

“Aye aye, captain!”

Pitch made an undignified noise at that and pretended to be offended. “Stow it, bilge rat.”

Jack noticed that Pitch was directing their steps crosstown, rather than the downtown route that he and Seraphina had taken.  “Eeyore’s?” he hazarded a guess.

“Eeyore’s.”

They spent more than an hour in the children’s specialty bookstore before they made their purchases. Pitch selected A WALK IN WOLF WOOD by Mary Stewart, saying, “it’s about time they made the werewolf the hero”, while Jack chose the Brambly Hedge books, showing Pitch the synopsis on the inside dust jacket of the final volume. “Listen. ‘The biggest snowstorm in years leaves just enough snow for a party in a palace made entirely out of ice.’  Give you any ideas?” 

“Definitely sounds like you, Frost.” 

Pitch leaned over and whispered into Jack’s ear, “Any room in that palace for me?” 

Jack’s heart thumped in his chest. It really did.  He tried to make a smooth comeback, but could only grin up inanely into Pitch’s face and mutter something about making igloos as a kid.

After cashing out, they took the subway, riding the 1 train all the way down to Hudson Street. They held hands surreptitiously under the cover of Pitch putting his hands in his coat pockets and Jack tucking HIS hand into Pitch’s coat pocket as well. No one paid them any attention, but it couldn’t hurt to be too careful.

At Books of Wonder, they gazed at Brian’s window art before heading in. Pitch had been buying one vintage Oz book from Peter Glassman for Sera every Christmas since 1973; this year it was time for TIK-TOK OF OZ. Sharon wrapped it carefully and smiled at both Pitch and Jack, a knowing but friendly look in her eyes. “Is that all for today, gentlemen?” She seemed to not be in the least bit flustered that Pitch had someone other than Seraphina in tow, nor judgmental that two men were together at her counter. 

Jack gave a small sigh of relief, though, once they got out of the store. After fourteen months in New York, six months of which he’d been with Pitch, he still wasn’t sure he wasn’t seeing judgement around every corner… judgement for being gay, judgement for the gay cliche of being a younger man with an older man, judgement that it looked like he, Jack, had set out to trap a sugar daddy. It was different with Pitch, it really was…

“Penny for them.”  

Pitch’s warm voice interrupted the broken record in Jack’s mind. He turned and looked up at Pitch as they walked, saying with a sassiness he didn’t quite feel, “Now I know where Seraphina gets it. Being a Pitchiner gives you mind-reading powers.”

“Not quite that simple. I just know that expression when people get tangled up in their own heads.  I wear it often enough, myself.” 

They turned to head towards 14th Street, and Jack gathered his courage to take the arm that Pitch offered him. He could feel Pitch relax, and lengthened his own strides to keep up.  

Some blocks eastward, Jack led Pitch towards Love Saves The Day.  Pitch’s eyebrows rose at the chalkboard sign that gleefully announced that unaccompanied children in the store would be given to the Krampus.  But he also smiled at the windup pig on a leash that trotted back and forth along the length of a leash lashed to a bicycle stand. “Sinister whimsy,” he commented.  “I can see why my daughter likes this place.”

“Uh huh.  But watch your head.  There’s stuff hanging everywhere.”

“Duly noted.”

Jack led the way into the shop, which “crowded and cramped” didn’t even begin to describe.  It was a cheerful explosion of colours, from the clothing to the posters to the piles of magazines, toys, shoes, and knick-knacks. A turntable next to the cash register was spinning an Andrews Sisters 78 record. “There’s one dress she was looking at yesterday that I don’t think she noticed that I was taking notes on.”  He went over a rack in the corner, rifled through , and pulled out a garment that glittered from collar to hem.  Every bit of material that could have a sequin or a fake gemstone on it was covered in sequins and fake gemstones, but somehow it worked, appearing sumptuous rather than garish. 

Jack held it up to himself; it hung to midcalf on him. On Seraphina it would probably be tunic-length at worst and a mini-dress at best.  Pitch made reflective noises and walked around Jack as best he could in the small space, looking at the dress from every angle, before nodding in approval. He stated, “I think she’ll like it. Very Cher.”

“I thought so too.”

“Good, that’s settled.  Anything else?  I’ve already decided your idea about the Walkman is an excellent one, as her ‘big’ present.”

Jack fidgeted while still holding the dress. “I did see something else here that I don’t think she saw, but it’s more a ‘from both of us’ thing than just me. If you think we’re ready to do a ‘from us’ thing, that is…” Jack trailed off.

Pitch’s eyes softened and he smiled at Jack reassuringly. “I want there to be an ‘us’ as long as you want there to be an ‘us’, and my daughter is the biggest fan of there being an ‘us’ as you’ll ever find.  So, yes, show me this gift that you want to be from both of us.”

Jack let out his breath in an audible whoosh and handed Pitch the sequined dress on its hanger. He moved towards one of the jewellery display cases and pointed. “That.”

“That” was a heavy round silver brooch that had been restrung from a long heavy silver chain. The chased figures on its surface depicted two antlered stags running together through a copse of fir branches bedecked with pinecones.

It seemed to be a thoroughly innocent piece of jewellery, until one actually gave thought to the unlikelihood of such a scene in nature.

Unless, of course, the two stags shared a bond, much like Pitch and Jack.

Pitch’s dark face split into an enormous smile as he came to the realisation that Jack intended him to have. Not caring who saw, he hugged the shorter man to his chest and kissed the top of his silver-blond head. “Superb choice,” he said.  “I couldn’t have done better.”

There was a world of layered meanings in his voice, and Jack smiled brightly back at him.

December 25, 1981

“You little liar! I knew those records were for Dad… sort of.”

Seraphina glittered as she did a twirl in front of the fireplace, between her new hip-length bejewelled tunic, worn over a green velvet skirt, and her new silver necklace.

“Manners, young lady,” Pitch interjected from his corner of the sofa, where he was flipping through the folio that Jack had made for him. Jack had used the album sleeves as front and back covers; one was “Welcome To My Nightmare”, the other “Frost Music”. About half the pages in the folio were drawings that Jack had already done, and half the pages were blank, with a handwritten IOU sitting on the coffee table, promising more drawings in the future.

In the other sofa corner, Jack sat sketching them both with his new pens, a look of fierce concentration on his face, but his body poised in a state of relaxation. Relaxed, that is, until Seraphina dashed off and came back with the family’s ancient Polaroid camera. Before either Pitch or Jack could move, Seraphina had snapped a photo of the two of them.

As the image emerged, she exclaimed, “This one’s going on the fridge door!”

As Sera scurried off to match actions to words, Pitch laid the folio on the coffee table and Jack did the same with his drawing supplies.  They reached for one another and met halfway across the couch cushions, sealing their lips together in a Christmas kiss.

[optimumonprime]

Cool cool cool

[onlyawfulrpgideas]

American Adventure

Exploration is what first drew me to adventuring stories and games, and these last couple of weeks I've been extremely privileged to explore the distant and somewhat bemusing land of the USA.

Huge shout out to the jaw-dropping "Compleat Strategist" of Manhattan, NY!

What a place! If you have any interest at all in RPGs or tabletop gaming of any sort, you've got to check this place out. Amazing store with friendly and funny staff. Contents-wise, this shop probably had more stock (by variety) than every single game store I've ever been in. (Although, we don't seem to have a fantastic selection in the UK, to be fair...)

Wandering (getting lost) around New England/MA coast, at the moment, so if anyone happens to be in the Cape Cod area and knows of any hidden gems, send me a scry or something!

[misternizz]

This really hurts. Compleat Strategist in Falls Church closing after decades of serving the community. Sadly it was very picked over by the time I came over. #farewell (at Fairfax Station, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZDGbxHuY1y/?utm_medium=tumblr

[oldschoolfrp]

“Halt Intruder!”  --  from ad for The Compleat Strategist game stores, Dragon 97, May 1985.  The Compleat Strategist still operates 4 stores, 2 of which are at their original locations.

[scottsackett]

Looking at games in NYC. (at The Compleat Strategist) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3FjfFBhQNO/?igshid=1ozz1xbie7r6d

[violetwassilly]

I did not want to leave. (at The Compleat Strategist) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvSLe16gBP7hTfAjtnY5f_UDLcvf68-x58gZDc0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1o6dgoml7ffy9

[twocoursemeal-blog]

TCM Eats: UBurger

UBurger (BU West)

In our continued series of “places we stumble into in a hungry stupor that turn out to be delicious” we bring you… UBurger! Sometimes, being closer to Friday Night Magic at the Compleat Strategist IS the thing that can help a Boston burger joint win out over the oft-indomitable Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

We ate:

Cowboy Burger (pepper jack cheese, bbq sauce, bacon, grilled onions (instead of grilled mushrooms))

DIY Burger (Fried jalapeños, lettuce, onion, pickles, bacon, cheddar cheese, bbq sauce)

Fries

We drank:

Oreo Frappe

Coffee Oreo Frappe

We made:

A few mistakes (overordering, sob)

Matt’s Thoughts

I’d never been to UBurger before, as I’d generally lumped them right into that category of upscaled downscale burger joints with punny burger names (5 Napkin Burger, Burgerfi, Boston Burger Company, Tasty Burger, UBurger, Wahlburgers). Sometimes, it can be hard to tell them apart. UBurger, I am sorry for writing you and your fried jalapeños off for so long.

A late friday night found us (soberly) walking into UBurger, stomachs empty. As you may know, hungry Matt and Angela are extremely susceptible to suggestion, be it from an advertised special, words written on a normal menu, or an order from the other person. In this particular scenario, as I was deciding on how to top my burger, I heard Angela order the #2 (small fries and a frappe) and foolishly thought to myself, “Well now, *that* sure sounds like a good idea!” Sure, hungry self. Sure.

A surprising amount of indecision later, and I had myself a burger. Essentially a classic Smokehouse burger (cheddar, bbq sauce, bacon, fried onion strings), but substitute the fried onions for something that I have never had before, and have been missing desperately from my life: fried jalepeños. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I ordered them, but let’s be real, they were going to be at least tasty no matter what. I wasn’t expecting them to be quite as good as they were. These were roughly ½” slices of jalapeño lightly battered and fried until crispy, golden brown, and delicious. And I mean delicious. These were by far the highlight of the burger, and next time I am truly curious to see if I can’t just order a basket of them as a side. If you don’t mind a bit of heat, make sure you order them if you go. The burger itself was just fine, and while not in any way bad, it didn’t really stand out for me aside from the jalapeños. More or less what I expected from a burger from a place like this.

The coffee oreo frappe was just finne, although it felle into the trappe of being too thickke to properly eatte. All joking aside, I’m a bit finicky when it comes to a good frappe. I think you ought to be able to reasonably drink it with the straw provided (it is a drink, after all), and while there’s a time and place for the incredibly thick and wonderful Blizzard-like frappes, that time is not when your mouth has become dessicated from salt intake. Still, the flavor was all there, and if you don’t mind a thick frappe, you’ll probably like this onne.

The fries were both the best and also saddest part of the meal. Best, because they were thin, wonderfully crispy, perfectly salted, and I wanted to eat all of them. The saddest, because I was just way, way too full to even make a dent in mine, let alone help Angela out with hers (what were we thinking??). I can’t see myself going back to UBurger without getting them.

UBurger was actually much better than I expected, and I’d happily go back, but not necessarily travel for it (especially with 5 Guys right nearby me). If UBurger ever offers a 50/50 basket of fries and fried jalapeños, it would 100% be enough for me to make the trip.

Angela’s Thoughts

As far as Boston-area quick service burger places go, I’m a fan of UBurger. They (generally) have better burgers than Shake Shack, and better shakes than Tasty Burger. They offer hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches -- they also have really delicious onion rings (though I believe they only serve them at the Kenmore location).

This was my first visit to the BU location, and we were both really hungry, so we both made terrible over-ordering decisions. We both got combos that came with fries and frappes -- I went with the Cowboy Burger, with a side of fries and an oreo frappe. We sat and waited in the empty restaurant (BU commencement had been earlier that day, so all the students were gone).

Once our food came out, we both realized we’d made an aggressive choice. The “small” fries were overfilled to the point of spilling over, and the burgers were generously coated with cheese and toppings -- and that doesn’t even mention the fact that we’d both ordered shakes. We lamented that we should have chosen to split fries instead, then dug in.

The cowboy burger is an archetype that I regularly order when it comes to quick-service burger restaurants. There’s something about bbq sauce, onions, and bacon that pairs beautifully with beef, and practically every burger joint I can think of has a “cowboy burger,” or something very similar. The one at UBurger was just fine. I found the amount of cheese and sauce a little aggressive, but not offensive. I generally try to taste the patty itself to see how well cooked and seasoned the beef is, but there was so much cheese on my burger that I couldn’t really manage it. Altogether, the flavor and sweetness of the bbq sauce dominated, but not in an unpleasant way. I would have liked a topping with a bit more freshness or juiciness (like raw onions or tomatoes) to cut through the greasy heaviness of the burger a bit.

UBurger’s fries are classic shoestring. They’re crispy, tasty, and served in abundance. I think they’re pretty good fries, though I think they could have used a bit more salt or seasoning (then again, I like the sodium-bombed fries of Tasty Burger, so feel free to disregard my opinion).

To compound my over-ordering nightmare, I opted in for an oreo frappe. I thought it was nice -- very rich, and more on the thicker side than thinner side (which is how a milkshake/frappe should be). They definitely use real ice cream in their frappes, and offer a number of flavors. It’s a good quality shake, perhaps even a great quality shake from an establishment that doesn’t serve ice cream.

All in all, I enjoyed my meal, and I didn’t finish anything I ordered! UBurger gives you a surprising amount of choice (in both burgers and shake flavors -- not so much for sides at this location). They give you plenty of food for the money, and you certainly won’t leave hungry.

Overall:

No complaints -- We’d both happily eat at UBurger again. Everything was tasty and cooked well. The fact that it doesn’t seem to stand out in our minds head and shoulders over the other Boston “Fast Burger” places is what’s really holding this back, but if they ever start offering large portions of those fried jalapeños, that would probably be enough for a four. As it is now...

We give UBurger 3 fried jalapeño slices out of 5.

[iondream]

they have them at midtown comics and at the Compleat Strategist

GUNPLA IN NYC?

Does anyone know good places to find anime and gunpla stuff in New York City? I’m leaving to visit my soul sister in 9 days, and staying in New York City for a week.

[codexanathema]

¡Icen velas!

¡Icen velas! “Ghosts of Saltmarsh” ya esta disponible y aqui te mostramos todo lo que necesitas saber sobre el nuevo titulo para #DnD.

El 21 de mayo, Wizards of the Coast lanzó “Ghosts of Saltmarsh”, y estoy realmente entusiasmado con una serie de eventos muy afortunados: el más importante de ellos es que mi compañero de habitación estaba disfrutando de unas cortas vacaciones en Nueva York ese día, así que pudo conseguirme un ejemplar de portada alternativa en The Compleat Strategist en Manhattan (¡muchas gracias a ellos por…

[elfyourmother]

@kurumayu it's always so overwhelming like its total chaos and their shit is so disorganized half the time (lmao I was not surprised to see them not have a romance section). I used to brave it in hs to get my 2nd ed. AD&D books that I couldn't get from Compleat Strategist but it was awful I honestly preferred Coliseum Books up by Columbus Circle especially for art and music books. I was devastated when they went under