What does one get when one puts a blogger in front of a computer with an internet connection on a Monday? A Monday Blog! Conversely, if it’s Monday and I’m in front of a computer with an internet connection posting a Monday Blog, I guess that makes me a blogger, right? I think the logic holds up in this case.

This is my last long weekend of the summer. I still have another day off tomorrow and then I’m done until Thanksgiving weekend. It’s been a good summer. I didn’t get quite as much done as I would have liked, but I sure did play a lot of games.

We had our last campfire of the season at Fab’s on Saturday. They’re always nice quiet evenings surrounded by friends telling old stories that I always look forward to. That’s done until next May or so (so far away!)

How many of you went out for Force Friday last week? It’s been one of the talks of the web this past weekend. I didn’t get to any stores so I didn’t see any of the new Star Wars merchandise in person so I can’t say much of anything myself. Apparently the new Star Wars Risk came out so I’m kinda psyched about that. I thought it was going to be a Christmas release. Other than that, I have to say that I’m not a big fan of the timing. Episode VII is still months away. It’s a little overkill to be doing it now. It keeps people talking about the movie I guess so there’s that.

I blitzed through the first season of Titansgrave the Ashes of Valkana on Geek and Sundry over the weekend. It’s another show based around watching a group of friends playing a roleplaying game. This time, it’s in a science fantasy world of Wil Wheaton’s creation (he’s the game master). It’s a much more condensed and edited show than Critical Role, with each episode of Titansgrave lasting about an hour. Both shows feature Laura Bailey as one of the players and she’s just a lot of fun to watch (and listen to). Overall, I applaud Wil Wheaton’s creative efforts, he obviously put in a LOT of work creating his world, but I like Critical Role better because of Matt Mercer’s approach. While Matt definitely spends a lot of time preparing beforehand, his game sessions are a lot looser and feel fresh. Wil Wheaton at times very much felt like he was just reading a module. Granted it was one he wrote himself, but it still came off a little stilted. Both shows have me wanting to get around the table for some roleplaying.

I’m getting to the point in Hearthstone where if I see I’m playing against a priest deck, I just concede the game before it starts. I hate Anduin. It’s like playing against Blue decks in Magic where you feel like there’s very little you can do that won’t be immediately countered (his counter cards are really cheap to play too). Couple that with players who take entirely too much time to play their turns and it can be rage-inducing at times. Sadly, priest seems to be the popular choice for other players based on how often I get matched up against Anduin decks so I’ve been giving other players a lot of quick wins. I’ll only play a priest deck myself if it’s the only way to complete my daily quest.

I guess that just about does it for me today. Have a good seven y’all and we’ll do this all again next Monday. Carja V.