Martial Art, Game Review

The clans of Japan are assembling to determine which has rightful leadership. As your clan's leader you must take charge and organize everyone for the upcoming battles. It is your decision of who should fight now and who should be held back for later battles. But, there is more than just sending your warriors forth into battle, you can work on building greater reserves or use treacherous twists to deceive.

Martial Art is the second game to come from Spider Goat Games (their first game was Gangster Dice—review from 2014). And Spider Goat Games is working to maintain the quality of an easy to learn, quick-play game.

Martial Art pits players against each other, battling for control of significant locations. The mechanic is one most people are very familiar with, the same mechanic as in the card game War. However, Martial Art includes hand management, bluffing, and conditional effects that occur depending on the land being fought over, and the cards being played.

Each turn the players battle for a place (as identified on the land card). Some of the lands have effects that come into play alter events, like for Sagami, "After the battle, the player with the lowest strength may take a card from the discard pile, including those this round." And, some of the battle cards also effect play.

Two of us sat down at the table to learn Martial Art. The rules are easy to learn and we were able to start playing quickly. Because the mechanics of the game are something we understood, the only thing causing us to slow down at all was reading the conditional effects to decide if we wanted to use the particular card that round.

Once the land card was revealed, we saw if it had any effect on the battle. Then we selected our battle cards, deciding if there were any we could, and wanted to play, prior to the battle, and which card we wanted to bring into the battle directly. There is also an option of "forgoing" the battle to create a larger hand to choose from later. The cards are placed face down, that is the bluffing part; each player decides their action without knowing what the other players are attempting.

Once the cards are revealed the battle is concluded and any after battle effects are completed. Once one player has achieved a victory condition based on the land cards, the game ends. In our games we never ran completely through the deck.

Since this is a straightforward card game, it plays quickly. We were able to get several games played while we were filling in the time waiting for others of our gaming group. Set up and clean up are also quick. Since you are working with a pack of cards (or 2 for playing the 3-4 player variation), they are easy to have packed away in the game bag, backpack, or suitcase to have ready for a quick game anywhere.

The artwork on the cards is wonderful (classical Japanese). While finishing up, the art work was enough to get other players interested in wanting to learn the game.

Spider Goat Games is bringing another good game to have handy for the spare moments you want to fill. They are starting a Kickstarter campaign in the month of June 2016.

Thanks to Spider Goat Games for a copy of the prototype for review.

If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here, or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The best of breed GSD with shock hocks

© DogWorld TV

While the Kennel Club looks busy with a workshop that is supposed to decide how to tackle "the GSD issue" this bitch went Best of Breed at the Scottish Kennel Club Championship Show last weekend. 

Conbhairean Gabriella (b. 7 March 2012) looks more sound than Cruaghaire Catoria, the GSD that caused all the fuss at Crufts two months ago. But just look at the wobble when she's stacked  - and the droop when she isn't.  She looks like a gust of wind would blow her over. 

And those hocks!

For those interested, here is her pedigree - illustrious in show terms.

A reminder of what the Kennel Club standard demands:

"Seen from rear, the hind legs are straight and parallel to each other. The hocks are strong and firm. The rear pasterns are vertical. Any tendency towards over-angulation of hindquarters, weak hocks, cow hocks or sickle hooks, is to be heavily penalised as this reduces firmness and endurance in movement." 

A final note: this dog passed a vet check after her win.  

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Mow Money, Game Review

Mow Money from Mayday Games

There is a lot of competition when starting a business, and you're starting a landscaping business. You have your lawnmower and ambition. With those two items you can compete to get contracts in the neighborhoods of the city, Walkerville, to earn money and build your prestige. As you earn, you have to decide if you or going to buy better equipment or leverage your money so you can bid on more landscaping jobs. Then, when one neighborhood has no more contracts to be filled, the company that has earned the most prestige will be awarded the contract to take care of the public buildings and parks.

Mow Money, from Mayday Games (their websiteand Facebook), pits you as a startup business owner against others in the city to become the premier landscaper. Four friends and I opened up the game and played. The only information we had beforehand was the information on the outside of the box.

We had a good understanding of the game from the first pass through the rulebook. We talked over the points anyone found confusing, set up, and played. About half way through the first game we were no longer using anything to remind us about game order, or what could and could not be done. We played a second game with no difficulties.  

Each player starts with a basic lawnmower and the ability to bid on jobs. You can bid for a mowing contract, which earns you money and prestige, or pick up an odd job for money. Then you have to decide on how you are going to invest your money. You can buy large mowers or the ability to bid for jobs. You have to maintain a balance. The larger mowers are needed to buy the bid cards, which allow for easier bidding of better contracts and higher paying odd jobs, but you have to have money to buy the bid cards.

There are the same number of neighborhoods as there are players (except for the one-player version which has two). Each round, every neighborhood has one contract available. The first round the contracts are all the same, and the easiest to obtain. The rest of the contracts come up on a random basis. The number varies, but the game ends when one neighborhood no longer has any contracts for the players to bid for.

Bidding is concealed. Each player can bid for up to two jobs, two contracts or one contract and an odd-job. The lowest bid gains the job, gets paid, and earns prestige for contracts. There is a way you can also alter your bid by staking previously earned reputation. The concealed bids allow for bluffing (extra cards are in your hand just for that purpose) so others don't know if you are bidding on a particular contract or an odd job.

In our two games we developed different strategies. It didn't seem like there was a one-way strategy to win, which we liked. The first game was one with a strategy of focusing on earning money early through odd jobs to go after the larger contracts. This same strategy didn't work in the second game. The second game was won with a more balanced approach between odd jobs and contracts.

The recommended is ages 10+. The theme of mowing lawns is one many younger players will probably relate to, even if they are not yet competing for contracts. There are many other games that use a bidding system, so younger players who have had some experience with that should not have a problem.

Mow Money was designed by Matt Saunders for 1–6 players and should last about 45 minutes. We played with 5 and were right around that time frame for both games. The first game took a little longer and the second shorter. This was partly from learning how to play, but also how the bidding went. With 5 players there were 6 contracts available from each neighborhood. In the first game we went 8 rounds while in the second we finished with the sixth round.

Our discussion after playing was positive. We all agreed we would play Mow Money again. For this game we had five players, and five positive responses.

Thanks to Mayday Games for the review copy.

If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here, or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Changes by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #12), Book Review

Harry Dresden is in for another rollercoaster ride, just like the reader in Changes. Jim Butcher is able to once again move the story forward with another major chapter in the life of his modern day, wizard detective who is battling the supernatural.

Again, this is a fast past novel that reads quickly. Changes is one of the longer books in the series I have read so far, almost 550 in paperback format. There is a lot being covered, but, just like the earlier installments, it is hard to set aside once you start reading.

I have had some time to think about why I like the Dresden books so much. I know part of it is what my imagination brings into the books. There is also the element of taking the classic investigator novel of Spencer or Sam Spade and adding the element of magic. This isn't the type of magic that immediately solves everything at the end of the book—it is structured and foreshadowed so if you are waiting to see if what is hinted at comes to pass.

There are times when the red herring is thrown into the path, which keeps you guessing if you have the right clues lined up. So, just like the earlier form of the detective genre, you are playing sleuth along with Harry as he is telling you his story.

Possible spoilers from here on.

Harry is reunited with his lost love, Susan, to find out that events from an earlier book means Harry has a daughter. But in true Dresden fashion, his daughter, Maggie, has been kidnapped by the Red Court for a ritual sacrifice. The sacrifice will not only take the girl's life, it will kill everyone in her blood line, including Harry and Susan.

The sacrifice is only a short time off, but is taking place in Chichen Itza. Time and space are against our hero.

Of course, Harry's friends are eager to help. Together, they plot to overcome the Red Court's Scheme, or is it just the scheming of one Red Court vampire, or is it the vampires scheming against each other. To Harry that is only a sideline to the fact he needs to save his daughter.

True to the title, Changes, is about the changes taking place around our protagonist, but also directly for him. By the end of the book there are a number of events leaving their mark on Harry, his friends, his daughter, and all of their relationships. There is enough introduced in this book you understand the story is going to be taking a turn, the question becomes in which direction.

I won't give away the ending, I hate it when others do it. I am not even going to give any more clues, except for knowing there are already additional books in the series, will have you wanting to start the next one as you finish this one.

If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here, or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Developing Culture, Continued Example, City Backstory

Thank you for the interest on the articles discussing culture. At the end of this article I have included links to earlier articles about the city and some of its inhabitants I use.

Backstory for Supporting Culture

Developing the culture does not require building a backstory, but it helps. After I decided what I wanted in my "current" city I could go back in time to figure out why the structure, rules, and culture of the current society exist.

As you develop a location you don't need to know everything. All you need to know is what is needed for what you are currently doing. I have been developing the city of Castanis for many years, most of it by writing down short, one-line, notes, names, or ideas. Those notes can either be forgotten, decided against, or developed. Development doesn't have to be in full either.

When writing the previous article on the goblin enclave I developed what was needed without going into full detail. The goblin are developed enough so they can be included in the city. They have their area of control, how they are able to sustain themselves, and few other details. There are hints at what is involved, but until I need the leadership they don't need to be developed. (I have been asked to provide some more details on the goblin enclave leadership, so they are now in the works.)

As an example of developing a backstory for a culture, here is the beginning of a history for the Castanis. The history is meant to be a guide, in this case for both a game master and a player. There is enough information to explain the basic of why some things are the way they are, along with clues to additional information someone might want to delve deeper into. There are also large gaps in the information about the intervening years, which can be expanded when additional backstory is needed.

A Brief History of Castanis

Many years ago, generations in terms of the lives of humans, men were starting to push there way out from their own minor existence. They started sailing the coast, exploring and trading. The estuary of the Long River was found as a place with good anchorage and for providing protection from the open sea. The location had been previously used by other seafaring races and conflicts occurred.

No one knows why the first battle took place, but the conflicts escalated, as grudges developed. Battles took place in the harbor, and the surrounding waters. Ships were sunk and many brave souls from different races were sent back to the heavens. It is said the battles continued for years. Until a wizened human, Pilan, did something the other captains were not expecting: instead of fighting he went to shore and planted a flag of truce.

Pilan, the Founder, called forth to the other captains present that day. Pilan negotiated with the captains to provide a safe place for all who were travelling along the coast. Instead of sailing on Pilan and his crew would stay at the mouth of the Long and build a new port. He promised he would welcome all the races who came there. This way the ships could bring their goods to a new area and the people of the area would be able to trade with the rest of the known world. The new port was named Castanis by the pact of captains, derived from one of the old languages because it means a place of protection.

Initially, times were tough on the fledging town. The only advantage the location had was the harbor. The area was muddy and swampy. Food was not easily obtained. And, they were pushing back against the wilderness.

Monsters assaulted those who took up residence in Castanis. Luckily, the new port brought adventurers who were wanting and willing to take on the struggle of taming the area. Some came to slay the monsters, while others came to convert them. Both had some success and each year the town and trade grew. Pilan grew old watching the town he settled develop.

Castanis has never stopped growing, and the principle it was founded on stayed firm—everyone, no matter what race, who came in peace, to trade or live, was accepted. This does not mean everyone lives in peace, but the law is applied to every resident, theoretically. This caused the town, and now the city, to develop in unexpected ways.

New groups arrived and set up their own camps, in the most part keeping to themselves. Over the years some have mixed with the other races over time, while others still maintain a level of separation. There are a number of racial neighborhoods where one race feels more secure, while some areas are highly mixed. There are places, like the portion living under the waves or in the dark, who live the way they do out of requirement. The city has moved up the river, along the coast, down into the earth, and, with the wizards and priests, into other dimension.

Walking down the streets of the city, day or night, you are likely to meet others gathering together in common trade; where, if they had met in the wilderness, they would be spilling blood. Adventurers have started their careers here, while others have found this the place to retire from their exploits. Still, there are those who are born, live, and die without ever travelling away from their beloved city. Those who never travel away are not just the common folk. There is potential to rise to great prominence and power within the confines of Castanis. Great adventures not only come from or to the city, many are made because of the city.

LIST

Mystic Theurge, Priestess of Baccob

Gladiator

Lady Fenn

Gunt, a Spy in the City

Hariman, Negotiator

Lots, Horse Trainer, Breeder, and Trader

Amilia, Horsewoman

Machiavellian Campaign—General Information, Size and Power bases for the Starting City

Machiavellian Campaign—Trading House Sardinis

Expanding the Merchant Skill for the Machiavellian Campaign

Considering Enslavement in the Machiavellian Campaign

Reader Response on Enslavement

Master Wainwright

Wainwright Journeyman

Developing a City's Culture—Example

TheGoblin Enclave

If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here, or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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The Kennel Club - still registering puppy farm dogs

Last night, BBC Panorama aired a gruesome exposé of a northern Ireland puppy farmer called Eric Hale. (If you are in the UK, you can watch the whole programme on iPlayer here.)

But it was also an an exposé of the Kennel Club's continued registration of puppy farm dogs.

Despite repeated urging by the Kennel Club to prospective puppy-buyers to avoid puppy-farmed dogs, the organisation continues to register dogs bred by breeders such as Eric Hale. 

Hale is a show-breeder of Beagles - and before that Bearded Collies -  registering the Beagles under his Southistle affix.  He has registered at least 20 litters of Beagles with the Kennel Club - the last that I can find in August 2015, although this litter, from January 2016, was advertised on DoneDeal as also being KC-registered.

Clearly, Mr Hale is also breeding a whole heap of other dogs, as last night's programme revealed. The conditions looked grim - with little bedding and the dogs on sawdust. The programme claimed that the dogs did not routinely get access to the outside.

In its position statement on puppy farming, the KC states:

"Breeders who breed five or more litters a year normally require a breeding licence from their local authority, and in order to continue registering puppies with the Kennel Club, anyone seeking to register five or more litters in a single year is asked to provide a copy of their licence. The Kennel Club will also be entitled to ask for a licence from those individuals who collectively register more than five litters a year from a single address."

So, presumably, the KC has asked Mr Hale for a copy of his breeding license, and this will have shown how many dogs he is licensed to keep.

Here's the public record from 2012 - which shows that Mr and Mrs Hale are licensed to keep over 100 breeding bitches.

The Kennel Club often points out that not all volume breeders are puppy-farmers - citing Guide Dogs for the Blind as a large-scale breeder that is "responsible and caring".  But, of course, this exception does not prove the rule. Assistance dog charities or police-dog breeding programmes may mostly do a good job but, in practice, no volume breeder meets the needs of a really large number of breeding bitches unless they are in the public glare or are blessed with wad of cash from either charity donations or the public purse.

Truly raising, keeping and breeding dogs well is expensive and labour-intensive. 

The KC also maintains that "only two per cent [of breeders who register their dogs with the KC] breed more than five litters per annum". 

This is a weaselly statistic - it may be only 2 per cent of breeders, but it will be a higher percentage of actual puppies - so it is at least several-thousand puppies a year. (KC registrations per annum are about 225k.) 

However, if there are really so few volume breeders registering their dogs with the Kennel Club, how about the KC commits to inspecting any breeder that is licensed for more than, say, 10 breeding bitches - regardless of whether they have been inspected by their local authority (we know this task is often delegated to people who either don't care much or who don't have a clue)?  If the numbers really are so small, surely it is not going to be a huge toll on resources?

The KC constantly maintains that it is obliged to register any dog on its general register, as long as it meets some minimum requirements. Those requirements do not include the conditions in which the pups have been bred. 

Quite frankly, the registration of puppy-farm dogs remains a blot on the KC landscape and it needs to be addressed - to ease both our souls and the KC's reputation.

I have asked the KC for input regarding the continued registration of Mr Hale's puppies and will add here if I get it. 

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The problem. Right here. Right now.

This video has had over two million views on Facebook with a whole heap of unthinking "so CUTE!!!" comments.

Here's what happened when someone tried to raise awareness of this dog's breathing issues.

Charlotte West Wilson is the dog's owner...

One person has provided this link to a website which advises on Pug's breathing problems. There is some good info there, but it includes this attempt to normalise noisy breathing and pinched nostrils.

Normal Noises and Wheezes 

The Pug dog will have breathing issues that are considered "normal". Although they may be quite alarming to new, unsuspecting owners, the following are common traits that are to be expected:

Snoring - Many Pugs snore when napping and sleeping through the night. This is not usually indicative of a serious health issue. If it does become excessive, stenotic nares and/or elogated palate may be the cause.


Snorting noises - It it typical for a Pug to make noises like grunting and snorting. This breed will wheeze and gasp a bit. As we look ahead into the details of Pug breathing problems, this will only need to be addressed if it appear to interfere with normal respiratory functions.

Stenotic Nares 

This is not uncommon with brachycephalic, short-nosed dogs. This is a physical condition in which the dog's nostril are too narrow to allow for proper breathing.


This is also referred to as pinched nostrils. It is a congenital trait, which means that it is passed down genetically, however it cannot be bred out of the Pug due to facial structure that gives the Pug his unique appearance.

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The Goblin Enclave, In The City

Goblins from Narnia

A few months ago I started giving information on my new Machiavellian campaign. The starting of the campaign is in a city, and as described in the last post, the city of Castanis updated to include some of the changes we want to work with (more on the city's development in the last article on an example of culture development). One of the earlier articles was about some of the size and power bases of the city. Mentioned in passing in the article is the goblin enclave, which has drawn some additional interest. So, I present some expanded information about the enclave. 

Goblin Enclave

A small area of the city, in the run down district known as the Grotto, has become the protected area for a small tribe of goblins. The residents of the city have come to call the area the goblin enclave. It is ran like a miniature goblin kingdom by an older goblin with rumored powers. The area is well protected and only a select few are allowed an audience with the goblin king.

The goblins of the enclave live in a more orderly fashion than goblins are expected to. It is said this is partly because they are more civilized, a concept the goblins are promoting, while others say it is because of their leader, who rules by absolutes. Whatever the reason, because the goblins behave themselves (sort of) and live in an area of the city more "civilized" residents don't want to live, they have been tolerated, enough so they have been able to establish some worthy businesses.

The goblins are known for maintaining a mushroom garden of varieties sought after by gourmets, and wizards. It is also suspected they grow other varieties with more unreputable abilities. No one else has been able to provide the fresh fungi within the city. The other varieties are tightly controlled and are only traded with those who have established themselves with the goblins.

The enclave controls a small area of the Grotto and provides the area around them with a certain level of protection which keeps the area "clean."  The Grotto is known as the slums of the city, but the area around the enclave is an area even the locals warn outsiders to stay away from, unless the intruders are disliked. Very few city patrols enter the grotto, and the goblins patrol their own area. Known residents are generally left alone (many of whom pay for the added protection so they are left alone by outsiders). At night, unknown trespassers are not tolerated. First the goblins will be forcibly warn or escort intruders away. If resisted, the goblins will use whatever force they deem necessary to secure their home. The clean part of the operation has been no one has ever found the remains of intruders who chose not to leave.

In the past there have been further inquiries into missing individuals, but to no avail. This led to a street war with a band of dwarves. The fighting escalated quickly, and ended quickly. The dwarves found themselves outnumbered and were driven out of the enclave's area. Those who didn't make it out of the area were taken care of as part of the cleaning operation. The leader of the dwarven group petitioned for the city to do something about the goblins, but were not successful with their legal arguments.

Goblin from Harry Potter

To gain more acceptance into the surrounding society some goblins are now working in other local businesses. They are careful not to expand too far away from their protected area, for those who do become part of someone else's cleaning operation. This newer group of working goblins try to present themselves as more civilized. They usually dress better and clean themselves up better than their cousins. Some have even taken up some of the adventuring classes.

The leader of the enclave is a skilled rogue who has been infected with lycanthropy, werewolf. Only a few of the goblin elite know this fact. His infection has helped in establishing the enclave and protecting it. One of his advisers is a wizard who came to the city a short while back. The wizard wanted a place of protection where he could study some of the darker arts. The enclave has provided him protection for helping them. It is said this wizard is the one who brought the spores for the mushrooms the goblins now sell.

It is also rumored at least one of the neighbors of the enclave is undead. It is also said there are other denizens from the underdark living around the enclave who are manipulating the goblins for their own ends.

Goblins living in a group have always been a scourge to towns and villages. Now in a major city the goblins have learned how their own racial traits can be used to make gains in a different way. They may not be the most skilled merchants, the smartest adversary, or wisest choice in a time of need. But they have a certain level of cunning, making them dangerous when they have established themselves in a new environment.

If you have any comments, questions, or critiques please leave a comment here, or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Thirty years ago, how one brave vet tried to raise the alarm

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Online for the first time: the 2012 sequel to Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Well, now seemed like a very good time.... ;-)

There has been further reform since this film. The Kennel Club has beefed up its efforts to educate on genetic diversity and it has given breeders new tools to help them avoid inbreeding.

There's no doubt we've come a long way since 2008.

But there is still such a long way to go - and particularly when it comes to the brachycephalics which feature strongly in this follow-up. Nothing really has changed for them - and if anything, things have got worse.

Hopefully, that is shortly going to change.

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