Two Birthdays and a Battle

This post covers last weekend as well as this, I started to write last weekends blog entry but never got to finish it.

Anyway last weekend we had the battle of Blackrock a table top war-game set in the Ascendancy world, Sam and Jack came to play the good gu...well the players side and old gamer John came to play the same side, I quickly convince him he needed to play the Lizardmen or Saurons and left him to read up his play sheet, while I set up the terrain consisting of some native straw thatched huts and some new Jungle plants scratch built by Mike, Andy's resident helper which gave a good feel of jungle to represent Frontier.

Battle photos

I brought my Lizardmen and beastmen, all my old models since I was saving the new ones for the next battle at Fort William, Sam brought her wood elves and I provided an extra scratch built treeman built a long time ago by my friend AndyH. After that I explained all the complexities of the defending tribal forces to Sam with a rundown of what the players wanted to do, the battle ended up being quite stressful mainly because both Sam and John did not know the rules well enough and I kept changing things with the wind, still luckily for the players it all turned out well in the end, John even said he would come back for next game despite all the Larp special effects I added.

After the battle it was Chinese at Andy and Heathers with Sam and Jak, where we watch some really hypnotic children telly before N and I went to bed. Young Gabe stayed up while we played another game of magic cards, Andy having created 2 new players in Sam and Jak who have now purchased their own cards, unfortunately from their own town not Andy's shop.

Last sunday is a blur; I think I spent most of it on Ascendancy website and forum stuff, but any that was a week ago.

This Saturday was Doug’s 3 decade birthday, so I called for DaveP and we both went to see him at his house in Swindon, where we well fed and entertained.

It was mainly Larp friends, Diane without Liam, Gareth the tall one on high of skittles and orange Fanta, Lotti, Colin, Matt & Sam, not forgetting Doug’s other half Iszy. All sorts of crazy past events and stories where dragged up alongside lots of crazy over the top conversation going off at right angles which made the time fly by, even if personally I did shrink into the background with so many outgoing people, well compared to me anyway.

Iszy provided me with some lemon sherbert tea which was nice, as well as some lovely cakes, although the chocolate birthday cake arrived with Diane.

Today it was my brother Stephen's chance to celebrate his 40th year of existence, I picked up my sister and mother and we went for meal in Cromford, a little restaurant 13 quid for a 3 course meal including wine or soft drinks and coffee, not a bad price, but the food was not very impressive, so I won't personally be recommending it. The restaurant was full mainly with the over 70's, possibly they couldn't taste how overcooked all the veg was or preferred it that way, my mum enjoyed the food and she is of that age.

Stephen, girlfriend and Mum

Birthday boy Stephen and Mum

My other brother Robert with Micheal

During the meal I mentioned Scarthin Books which a few pace's up the road and discovered my mother an avid reader had never heard of it or been, so we took her there and she purchased a pile of new and old travel books. I bought an OS map of North Yorkshire moors for use when on holiday.

With the sun bringing out all and sundry the roads around Matlock and Cromford were heaving with cars and motorbikes so I took a scenic route back testing my knowledge of all the back roads successfully avoiding the jams.