Game On! or Curse You, Wil Wheaton!

I have always loved playing games. As a child I played the classics: Candyland, Mousetrap, Don't Break The Ice. A few years later, I was the first kid on the block to own Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition!). When collectible card games came along, I eventually acquired a few dozen different games (Magic: The Gathering being a recent addition.).

So, yeah, I like games. The thing is, until recently, I have only purchased a few games a year. Then, well...

All I was doing was looking for a Youtube video about the great Lovecraftian game Elder Sign.

          (Explore an Arkham museum, using dice to complete tasks and fend off maddening horrors.)

So, looking on YouTube, and what pops up? Some Wil Wheaton hosted show called Table Top. I like Wil Wheaton, I like games, I like watching videos. I hit play, and was whisked away to a wonderland of fun and...well, what I got was a video of Wil Wheaton and his friends playing Elder Sign.

You see, Table Top is a show on the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry, on which Will and a revolving group of friends play different, well, table top games (Duh.). Wil introduces the game, then the folks who will be playing, and then the games, and the fun, begin.

Here's the problem. Since discovering Table Top, just a few months ago, I have purchased a DOZEN new games. And them things ain't cheap! (Well, some of them are, but most seem to average around $50.00.)

Everything from SmashUp, Castle Panic, and King Of Tokyo

to Small World, Tsuro, and Forbidden Island

has been added to my collection of games.

Because of Wil Wheaton (WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!) I have spent way too much money on games, over the past few weeks. 

But...

It's been worth it. Not only have I found the fantastic Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube, which is full of wonderful people and videos, but, my friends, family, and I have had hours and hours of fun playing some great games.

So, while my bank balance curses Wil Wheaton, I thank him. (And I'm pulling for you, Wil. I know you can get another win, one of these days.)

Duane Swierczynski Does It Again

Unputdownable. It's not a literal term. Otherwise we would be walking around covered in books, which would make it kinda difficult to eat, sleep, and, well, do just about anything.

But...

Figuratively speaking, Duane Swierczynski's Point & Shoot definitely fits the bill.

Picking up exactly where Hell & Gone left off, the latest Charlie Hardie adventure is a rocketing thrill ride of non-stop craziness.

Fun & Games (the first Charlie Hardie book) was a fast paced thriller.

Hell & Gone (book number two) was an action packed mind game.

Point & Shoot...well, Point & Shoot is a bizarro, buddy road tripping, action adventuring, identity swapping, serial killering, conspiracy filled masterpiece.

As always, Swierczynski's writing is as sharp as a scalpel. With just a few words, he is able to bring each character to life. The dialogue crackles, and the action bursts from the page in a cloud of gun powder and blood. (Again, I'm speaking figuratively. Literally, well, that would be rather gross.)

For anyone looking for a well written, thrilling, breathtaking story, I highly recommend Point & Shoot. I do suggest you read the first two books. Not just to get the whole story, but because they are all fantastic fiction.