Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 24th through June 30th. Coming soon to Bluesky once we can find a scheduler option.
June 24 “This was not my first crisis. It was one of many. During it, I did what my experience and training required me to do. I took the proper steps in the proper order. I did exactly what had to be done, exactly when it should have been done.” Kirk- Court Martial, Stardate: 2947.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 25 “Fifty? You were bluffing.” LaForge “Klingons never bluff.” Worf- The Emissary, Stardate: 42901.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 26 “I have a bad feeling about this.” O’Brien- The Adversary, Stardate: 48959.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 27 “Every school kid knows that Zefram Cochrane met the Vulcans in Bozeman, Montana on April 5th, 2063. I’ve been there. There’s a statue.” Tucker- Carbon Creek, Date: April 12, 2152 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“You are insane. You consumed what little collective you have left.” Picard “Only to sustain myself to arrive at this moment, to invite you here to witness.” Borg Queen “Witness what?” Picard “Your future’s end.” Borg Queen- The Last Generation, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 29 “I do not enjoy crowds.” Seven “But you were in the Collective. Wasn’t that like a big crowd?” Naomi “Which is why I do not enjoy them now.” Seven- Survival Instinct, Stardate: 53049.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 30 “Oh. My neck feels like it’s been twisted off.” Kirk “That’s the Vulcan death grip for you.” Dr. McCoy “There’s no such thing as a Vulcan death grip.” Chapel- The Enterprise Incident, Stardate: 5027.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.
Wiz Dice on the left, Role 4 Initiative in the middle and Chessex on the right.
As I was preparing for SaltCON-Summer 2024, I realized that I had not done my review of the three RPG battle mats/tiles that I currently own. So as I was preparing for the con, I had my daughter help me set these out and take some photos for a review. I’ve owned two of these maps for a few years and purchased the gaming tiles last year after I saw them in use at SaltCON-Spring 2023.
The Chessex 26×23.5 Battlemat
So the first battlemat that I had purchased was the Chessex double-sided 26.x23.5 battlemat. The DM for my Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign that ran for several years used a larger version of this product. When my nephew had asked me to run an introduction to Dungeons and Dragons game, I realized that I didn’t have a mat to use. So I slipped into one of my local gaming shops and picked this one up. It has square grids on one side and hexagons on the other. Eagle-eyed readers may spot this map as the background to some of the photos I used for the various Character Creation Challenge entries. Besides the game with my nephew, I was able to use it in a few other games. The surface is a little rough, but I think this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The mat itself is thick and feels solid. However when I drew on it with dry-erase or wet-erase markers, it could sometimes leave the image behind. While I was experimenting with the map for this article, my daughter discovered that using the Mr. Clean MagicEraser would remove the older drawings without (as it seemed) to damage the map. While I could still see some of the older set-in markings, it is a lot clearer than it use to be. Because this map is rolled, I have to use heavy objects to hold the corners down.
The Wiz Dice 48×36 gaming mat
Just a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to run a OSR game for my daughter and several of her friends who had been playing in a D&D 5e campaign. I had created the adventure myself (and later used it at SaltCON-Spring 2024) and realized that the map I had found on the internet, was too large to use on the Chessex mat that I already owned. So I found the Wiz Dice 48×36 gaming mat on Amazon. It is also a reversible map with hexagons on the other side. For the purpose of the one-shot, I was able to use the map with a dry-erase marker. However, after the event, I really wished that I hadn’t purchased this mat. First, it’s really thin and flimsy. While taking these photos for the article my daughter mentioned that it was like having a shower curtain on the table. While the Chessex surface felt rough, but durable, this map was wrinkly, sticky and felt like it was going to rip if I wasn’t careful. When I attempted to use it at SaltCON-Spring 2024, I discovered that the markers I had brought would not write on the map properly, so we ended up using graph paper instead. Like the Chessex, the MagicEraser product was handy in removing stubborn markings from the map. The other issue that I had with this map is the poor quality of the printing. As you can see in the photo below, there were parts where the grid had misprints in it or were missing. As a rolled mat, it also had to be weighed down at the corners.
Just one example of misprints on the Wiz Dice mat
Had there been one issue, I probably would have been OK with the map. But with both the misprints and the flimsy/thin quality, I really wish that I had spent my money on a larger Chessex mat.
The Role 4 Initiative Game Tiles
When I saw how handy these game tiles were at SaltCON, I had to order a set myself. I picked up the Dry-Erase Hexagon Game Tiles from Role 4 Initiative. While preparing for the latest SaltCON, I decided that I wanted to get all of the tiles out to make sure that they could handle the adventure map I was planning to use. The kewl thing is that you can start out with a small section, then add the sections as needed depending upon where the players elect to go. While these are double sided, they have hexagons on both sides. One side is solid hexagons with broken hexagons on the reverse side. There is a grid version of the tiles available from the same manufacturer that I’ll have to pick up sooner or later. Where the Chessex surface is rough and the Wiz Dice surface was sticky, these tiles were very slick. While it made marking the tiles easy, you could easily smudge a dry-erase marking if you were not careful. There are thirty-three 1/8″ thick tiles that are six inches across in the box. This makes the box a little heavy compared to a rolled up mat. But I was able to store my dry-erase markers in the extra space the box provided. When we were drawing the full map of the planned adventure, my daughter commented that it was like assembling a map puzzle. Here are some various photos.
First opening the box
The solid and broken hex sides of the tiles
We did a timed test with some markings and it erased with no problem after 30 minutes
All of the tiles assembled in a square like fashion with 28 inches across
Drawing the full map of the adventure
Conclusion:
The rolled up mats are lighter than the tiles. But the tiles offer greater flexibility for the GM. The costs are about the same (Dice Wiz is lower compared to the same sized Chessex mat). If you are going to stick with a rolled up mat, buy the Chessex for the quality. But my overall advice is take the flexibility of the Role 4 Initiative tiles. They also marked and erased easier.
Have you used any of these three products? If so, what were your thoughts on them? Are there other mats/tiles that I should look into? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 17th through June 23rd. Coming soon to Bluesky once we can find a scheduler option.
June 17 “It’s not your fight either, but I don’t see you leaving.” Rom “I have to look out for my bar.” Quark “And I have to look out for you.” Rom “Me?” Quark “You’re my brother. Whatever happens, we belong together.” Rom- Call to Arms, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 18 “The Claim ‘I was only following orders’ has been used to justify too many tragedies in our history.” Picard- Redemption II, Stardate: 45020.4 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“And while you were well aware that of own qualified desires to serve on the USS Enterprise, I’m assigned to the Farragut?” Uhura “It was an attempt to avoid the appearance of favoritism.” Spock “No, I’m assigned to the Enterprise.” Uhura “Yes, I believe you are.” Spock “Thank you.” Uhura- Star Trek (2009), Stardate: 2259.55 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 20 “There was a time when Denobulans believed they were the only intelligent species in the galaxy. Needless to say, it was quite a surprise when the B’Saari made first contact. Many refused to accept the truth even with the evidence standing right in front of them.” Dr. Phlox- Future Tense, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 21 “I have a Human half, you see, as well as an alien half, submerged, constantly at war with each other. Personal experience, doctor. I survive it because my intelligence wins over both, makes them live together.” Spock- The Enemy Within, Stardate: 1672.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 22 Happy Birthday to Tim Russ. @timruss2 https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Tim_Russ #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #StarTrekTNG #StarTrekDS9 #StarTrekVOY #StarTrekPicard #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“Being a father can have infinite rewards, far more than would seem possible. My children occupy a significant portion of my thoughts – now more than ever.” Tuvok- Elogium, Stardate: 48921.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 23 “It’s so like my mother to do the unexpected.” Deanna Troi- Manhunt, Stardate: 42859.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.
Well I thought the picture of the loot at the top was not so fuzzy, but I’m not going to re-take it now. Hey, I survived another SaltCON both as a player and gamemaster. It was fun, lesson learning, idea forming, friend making and just a little stressful. But I wouldn’t know a convention that didn’t have those.
I did get some loot at this con, but for a while I was worried that I wasn’t going to find anything. The game swap only had one person bring in RPG books and I ended up buying three items from him. The hardbound book Codex of Erde (an earlier edition of the Codex of Aihrde from Troll Lord Games) and two boxed sets of Dungeon Crawl Classic modules called “The Heroes Arise” and “The Saga of the Dragon Cult”. The modules in each boxed set would form a campaign that could take characters from first to high levels. The boxed sets were in really good shape considering their age with only one book showing any damage. I also picked up five token trays that I planned to use for my Star Trek Adventures game. These had been created by a local artist. The convention organizers gave me a set of dice as a thank you for running my games (they were purple, they went to my geek wife) and I also picked up a convention t-shirt. I love how they have a different design each convention.
For the gaming sessions I played in, this is how it went.
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition- We had to find a lost puppy owned by the local magistrate. Unfortunately this lost puppy was a three-headed hellhound and was burning up the town. And, as fate would have it, we were not the only party looking for the wayward pet.
The One Ring– Set in the times between the events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, our party had been hired by a not-so-trustworty dwarf in an attempt to find a treasure left behind by his recently-deceased uncle. I really liked the system as it worked very well with the Middle Earth universe that we were familiar with. I may have to pick up this system.
Star Wars D6- I missed out going to this game due to real-world issues and I tried to track down the GM to explain why (apparently no one else had shown up for the 9am game either). But the good news is that I was able to track down an AC tech to fix the air-conditioning unit at my house.
Stellar Odyssey– A RPG created by a Utah author. I had been in some of his games at past conventions and since I suddenly had an opening in my schedule, I signed up. This was a Star Trek inspired game where you play the crew of an intrepid starship doing missions for a planetary union. The emphasis is on social combat (with initiatives and different methods you could use to convince others to see your way/perform an action/etc.) with actual combat limited to a single die roll. The system made sense and really encouraged roleplaying. The starship stats (and how they could be used to enhance your dice pool) also made sense. I may have to use this game in an upcoming Character Creation Challenge.
Ter’Ra’Mentia- This was only an hour long intro session and I was the only person present in the time-slot. This allowed me to ask a lot of different questions without feeling guilty that I was taking away from the other players. I’m also a ‘hands on’ person when it comes to learning a game, so this helped very much. While I don’t know if I’d be able to pick up this game, I now have a better understanding of it. It’s basically a 2d12 system+skill points to beat a target number.
The Walking Dead- This was a scenario set in Utah. Which meant that the players were (mostly) familiar with the area. While it did end early (four players in a family had to go) I did get a chance to try the system. It felt like a game where dread was always around because even with the dice pools, we hardly got any successes. We didn’t have all bad luck, but it didn’t feel like we were in a cinematic cake-walk either. I don’t know how I’d feel about this. The constant wear-down of not getting successes might get old in a campaign. I’d probably have to actually try a campaign to see how I felt.
This is how the games I ran turned out.
The Star Trek Adventures game that I was going to run only had one person show up. It was probably the time slot that I had selected on a Sunday that did this in. I would have run this on a Saturday, but originally a family commitment would have kept me out for the whole day. When plans changed and I only needed to leave for the evening, it was too late to change the date. With the single player I sat down and explained the game basics to him. It was his first convention and I think he was excited to just try something more than Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder.
Basic Fantasy went better than I expected. I got to use a new GMs tool to help draw out the map of the bandit’s lair that the party was trying to escape from (I’ll have a review blog post very soon on this). Most of the players were use to 5e so I had to explain some OSR styles (running away is an option, your character may die if you are not careful, etc.) Well they took this to heart and actually worked together very well to facilitate their escape. While looking up a rule really quick, I reminded myself of one of the basic guidelines for running a game. Keep the flow going and don’t be afraid to make judgment calls instead of slowing down play by looking up rules. I had one player tell me afterwards that he hadn’t been a fan of the D20 games, but would play more Basic Fantasy if offered because he had fun in my game.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, getting together is one of the highlights of playing RPGs. On the first day I bumped into a GM for Savage Worlds. He asked if I wanted to go through a quick demo, which I jumped at since it gave me the chance to check out a system I had never played. Turns out this guy runs an RPG video blog on YouTube called the Ace Roleplaying Games Club. He even named dropped my blog in his own SaltCON after-action report. Thanks Mason.
Once again I’d like to thank the army of volunteers and coordinators for putting SaltCON-Summer together. While I was disappointed in the swap meet (I really wish more people would bring their RPG books looking for new homes) I could see how people were having fun over the weekend. Even the convention organizers. I got to meet up with some friends that I only seem to see at these conventions as well. That is an added bonus to attending the convention.
Also note to self, don’t forget to pack some antacid tablets in your convention backpack just in case the nacho cheese served at the convention center affects me again.
Have you been to any gaming conventions lately? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 10th through June 16th. Coming soon to Bluesky once we can find a scheduler option.
June 10 “Why is Spot under the bed?” Data “Probably because she knows if I catch her, I’m going to kill her.” LaForge- Force of Nature, Stardate: 47310.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 11 “You can’t dismiss someone just because you don’t agree with the way they conduct their personal lives!” Archer- Stigma, Date: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 12 “Have Doctor Bashir examine you when he gets back from the Gamma Quadrant!” Rom “Bashir? How good could he be? He doesn’t even charge.” Quark- Body Parts, Stardate: 49930.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“As you may or may not be aware, I am an El-Aurian. Some people call us a race of listeners, we… listen.” Dr. Soran- Star Trek Generations, Stardate: 48650.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“Did Janeway figure it out?” Shaxs “No! She just murdered him!” Freeman “W-well there has to be more to it.” Shaxs “She isolated the genomes and split ’em up. He begged her to live.” Freeman “Holy bleep! Janeway didn’t mess around.” Shaxs- Twovix, Stardate: 58724.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekLowerDecks #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 14 “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Kim- The Thaw, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done? And what is yet to come? Saavik- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Stardate: 8210.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“So, what kind of combat training do you have?” Kirk “Fencing.” Sulu- Star Trek (2009), Stardate: 2233.04 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.
The two games that I am running at SaltCON-Summer 2024.
Soon I’ll be enjoying another gaming weekend at SaltCON-Summer 2024 at the Davis Convention Center. As you can see above, I signed up to run two more games again. You can read about my past adventures at SaltCON in my past blog entries. I will be packing my Convention Backpack that I have documented in a previous blog post.
For this convention, I’ll be running two adventures that I did not write. I wanted to try some of the adventures that others had put out. The first will be for Basic Fantasy 4th Edition. Just in case any of the people signing up for my game might be reading, I’ll reveal the adventure after the convention. The second game is going to be a Star Trek Adventures game. Which one, however, I couldn’t say. When I originally signed up, I elected to run a Star Trek Adventures Klingon Empire adventure. However, just after I had signed up, Modiphius had released the Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition Quickstart Rules. So I’m going to give the players who show up a choice. Klingon or 2nd Edition Quickstart. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I’ve read through the Quickstart rules and they sound better. I can’t wait for the 2nd Edition core rulebook to come out.
Here are the games that I’ve signed up to play at SaltCON-Summer 2024.
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition- The adventure sounded interesting. It’s also being run by a friend of mine so I wanted to support him.
The One Ring– I’ve never played this system before so I thought I’d try it out. Plus I’ve always been a fan of the Lord of the Rings books.
Star Wars D6– A fan-continuation of the original West End Games D6 Star Wars roleplaying game. I haven’t played this system in years.
Ter’Ra’Mentia– This is the fantasy game written by some Utah authors. I met them at last year’s FanX when they were promoting their KickStarter. This will be a demo of the game.
I know it doesn’t sound like many games. But SaltCON-Summer is only three days instead of the spring event which has four. But, I’m looking forward to sitting down with some friends (or soon-to-be new friends) and throwing some dice. I wonder if I’ll find any RPG bargains in the game swap? Look for the after-action report soon.
What should I be on the look out for? Any recommendations for the games I’m going to be playing? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.
Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of June 3rd through June 9th. Coming soon to Bluesky once we can find a scheduler option.
June 3 “As your friend, it is my responsibility to be supportive in times of need.” Data- In Theory, Stardate: 44932.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“Imperative! This is the Kobayashi Maru, …nineteen periods out of Altair Six. We have struck a gravitic mine and have lost all power. …Our hull is penetrated and we have sustained many casualties.” Kojiro Vance- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Stardate: 8130.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
June 5 “I’m just giving you back what was stolen from you; the existence you were denied; the child who never had a chance; that life is yours to live, now.” Janeway “I don’t want that life!” Seven “It’s what you are. Don’t resist it!” Janeway- The Gift, Stardate: 51008 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“No matter how deep in space you are, you always feel like you can see home. Don’t you think?” Lorca- Context is for Kings, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife got the whole damn planet in the divorce – all I got left is my bones.” Dr. McCoy- Star Trek (2009), Stardate: 2233.04 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“Tell me something. How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Fontaine “I have no idea.” Odo “Practice, practice, practice.” Fontaine- His Way, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
“I thought I was going to die.” Kirk “Not possible. You were never alone.” Spock- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Stardate: 8454.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote
What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.
