Face on brick

This brick with the painted face is on the south side of East First Street, between North First Avenue East and North Second Avenue East.

Bentleyville USA Unicorns

Observant and perceptive readers will realize that I have a lifelong affection and fondness for unicorns.  That’s one of the main reasons why I enjoy watching the Friendship is Magic TV series, reading the comic books, and playing the role-playing game.

If we win we live, if we lose we become food for that evil dragon.

Angry Cab is getting stronger!  But, will Angry Cab’s more powerful body take down the evil dragon?

What is WASS? Part 3

“Ask not what WASS can do for you – ask what you can do to support WASS.”

- WASS Base Commander Larry Hunt

A bard’s tale

Decades ago, at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) gaming club, I played in a Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) first edition campaign.  This campaign was set in a magical version of the high medieval period in the Kingdom of England.  In the kingdom, magic is commonplace.  While elves, dwarves, and other good species are accepted in the human population, while becoming trusted advisors to the royal family.

 

In the spring of the year 1044, King Edward the Confessor, along with most of his adventurers and soldiers focused their attention on his eastern coast; due to raids by Scandinavian pirates and plunders that pillage and then burn every settlement they find.

 

It was then that outside the city walls of the southwestern seaport city of Plymouth; isolated farmsteads and travelling merchant caravans of mixed bipedal species were attacked and the people disappeared with no trace of where they were taken.  A small village of elves, and then a copper mine crewed by several families of dwarves also disappeared.

 

The latest attack by the unknown enemies was discovered when a wagon caravan carrying tax payments for the royal family was attacked.  All the tax money, the tax collectors, the mules that pulled the wagons, along with the guards, three armored knights, and their horses disappeared.  This time, King Edward lost more than people, he lost his money.

 

While enraged by this report about the robbery of his tax collection caravan, King Edward hired our party.  One day earlier our party had stopped a dockyard fight between a gang of drunken sailors and a gang of drunken teamsters.  King Edward gave us a letter of introduction, two wagons full of supplies such as food, camping gear, and expendable items such as arrows.  The wagons were pulled by two mules each and each driven by an experienced (non-player character) teamster who knows how to drive and care for the mules.

 

Our party’s adventure started the moment we arrived at Plymouth’s eastern gate.  We didn’t spend our actual time or our game time travelling on the road between London and Plymouth.

 

We had a short talk about the abductions with the local lord - Prince David, a younger brother to King Edward.  Then, we walked to the city’s market hall where the farmers were selling their produce.  We gathered the heads of the farming families to talk about the disappearances of those missing people, what we could do to stop these mysterious abductions, and then return their missing family members.

 

It was then that our smart aleck bard asked the elderly farmers this question:  “My good sirs and ladies, have you seen the giant rats that eat people?”

 

The elder farmers told our bard that they hadn’t and then asked our bard to describe these rats.

 

Our bard replied, “These rats stand about three feet tall at the shoulder, wear hard leather helmets and what look like soft leather horse blankets.  By the way, these rats speak English with French accents.”

 

Our bard was so persuasive that most of the famers were panicked, with several farming families packing up their goods and then leaving their farms for cities in the east.

 

After three days, Prince David’s city guards found us and then brought us to see him.  Prince David was furious with our player characters.

 

“Quit frightening my peasants!” he growled, keeping his attention on us, most of all on our bard.  The bard’s player never stopped smiling, loving all the attention that he was getting from the game master, his fellow players, and a few people who were watching us play our campaign.

 

Then, a week later our game master graduated from UMD.  He moved back to Minneapolis soon after that.  So, we didn’t get to conclude that D&D adventure.  If I were to restart this adventure, I would have the villains who are kidnapping these people be Minotaur adventurers who are infected by lycanthropy and could turn into werewolves.

 

And now you know the raison d'être or justification why some D&D players look down on bards and the players who play them.

More King Manor Club news

A club officer illness is the explanation as to why the King Manor Club meeting was rescheduled for December First.  This notice is posted on the door to the fourth floor community room.

King Manor Club meeting rescheduled for December First.

I wonder if any King Manor residents are interested in enjoying a One D&D campaign, starting in 2024.

What is WASS? Part 2

My King Manor readers’ questions are answered.  My readers are most interested in learning my fictional characters abilities, backgrounds, and experiences to a greater degree than my story arcs.

Frank's Christmas tree 23

Frank has created a nice Christmas tree!

DECC Convivium

Convivium:  This word means a banquet, feast, or gathering.  The adjective of this word is “convivial” means “friendly” or “fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company.”

DECC Thanksgiving meal

A yummy for my tummy Thanksgiving meal!

Happy Holidays, from the crew at WASS Duluth!

Each and every Duluth citizen should thank the WASS Duluth crew.  The crew of this secret US military base keeps us all safe from alien and supernatural threats.

James tours Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” 2023

During this day of Thanksgiving, get into the Holiday spirit by taking a Bentleyville tour.

For Thanksgiving with my King Manor friends, I bought a Sweet Potato Pie!

For some families, their Thanksgiving meal becomes complete with a Sweet Potato Pie.

What is posted on King Manor’s fourth floor bulletin board for November 22, 2023?

The King Manor Club will have another meeting.  This will happen after more than one year of no residents’ club meetings.  I wonder if the club officers plan to have additional King Manor Club meetings in the future.

What is WASS? Part 1

These are my readers’ questions, asked by my King Manor readers.

Battle Cudgel 666,666 Online

I would love to play Battle Cudgel 666,666 Online.

This name is a parody of a real game.  Can my readers guess what that real game is?  Hint:  That real game is both a tabletop miniatures game and a tabletop role-playing game.

WASS Art Gallery

I make canned food art!

While others prepare for combat, one person thinks. Is there a peaceful way to resolve this conflict?

My apologies to Angry Cab, the person my comic is named after, for neglecting to post their character information sooner.

What is posted on King Manor’s fourth floor bulletin board for November 14, 2023.

After two days, we see people have posted two new posters on the bulletin board.

A mysterious fact is that for at least one year, no notice for King Manor Resident Club events have been posted here or anywhere else inside King Manor.  What is happening to club funds that the club obtains from a number of revenue streams?  Are club funds being pilfered by club officers who dabble as petty thieves?

What even happened to club events?  What happened to annual voting for club officers?  Acting as a journalist, should I investigate my Resident Club that brings in money, and yet does nothing at all for the residents of King Manor?

I saw “The Marvels”, a 2023 American superhero film.

This is more of a cute movie than a movie about “whom can hit harder than whom” movie.  However, I do like cute, so I like this cute movie.

An astonishing and surprising discovery in my apartment

While I was cleaning my apartment for my annual apartment inspection, I found six more twenty sided dice.  Could it be that brings my total number of twenty sided dice to twenty-six?  Is it possible that I binged bought twenty sided dice, without keeping track of how many I had previously purchased?

As a future One D&D game master, will I ever need twenty-six individual, 20 sided dice?  At the end of the day, all I get from thinking about why I own twenty-six, twenty sided dice is more questions than answers.

James writes his next blog post

I could have written a blog post about my 2024, One D&D campaign.  I also could have written a separate blog post for my Angry Cab Comic.  Instead, I combined the real world and the make-believe world to make one blog post.

What is posted on King Manor’s fourth floor bulletin board for November 12, 2023.

More old leaflets have been taken down, while fewer new leaflets have been put up to replace them.

Fallout: Equestria is my favorite fan fiction

In an original encounter created by James Buchanan, Velvet Remedy (left) and Littlepip (right) find a fallen bridge leading up to an abandoned merchant outpost in the mountains.  That outpost was overrun by deadly monsters a few hours ago.

Also, when my hometown has overcast skies for days on end; Duluth feels like a human version of Fallout: Equestria.

Abigail, woman of science and of magic!

There are times when my King Manor fans are able to remember what happened in past chapters of Angry Cab Comic much better than I do.

Abigail’s skill upgrade means that she, and her partner Angry Cab, will be taking a much more important role in the comic from here on out.

Angry Cab Characters Level Up! (Revision)

There are times when my King Manor fans are able to remember what happened in past chapters of Angry Cab Comic much better than I do.

Abigail’s skill upgrade means that she, and her partner Angry Cab, will be taking a much more important role in the comic from here on out.

Dangerous Dragon Drama (3D)

How do you like or dislike the serious tone that I have taken in chapter ten of Angry Cab Comic (ACC)?  Putting my characters in danger, and then seeing how they react to that danger, is rewarding to me.  The villain has a good reason to go after my heroes; and not to commit crimes for no good reason.

One of my friends told me during a face-to-face chat that the criminal dragon is my version of the Star Wars character of Sheev Palpatine, or Darth Sidious, who is always hunger for more power.  I agree with my friend on their idea.

At least, the alien starship narrative arc, which started at the end of chapter one, has been completed.  What other ACC narrative arcs would you like to see me complete?

Thrill to a most dangerous turn of fortune for our local heroes!

Page five meets the requirements for chapter ten to become my “Wham Episode”.  (A Wham Episode is a point in a series where the story takes a sudden and sometimes unexpected dramatic turn.)  One of my readers asked me to continue my comic as a more serious drama.  Taking a loyal fan’s desires for my next chapter into consideration, I created chapter ten to be my Wham Episode.  By listening to one of my readers, I improved the overall quality of chapter ten for all of my readers!

James answers readers’ questions!

I hope that page four answers some of your questions.

My Friday Tacos!

It took me two separate grocery trips, one to Super One by bus and another to Whole Foods Co-op Hillside by walking, to obtain all the ingredients I needed to make my tacos.

James, I have a question for you.

This page is based upon a true backstage incident that happened during the filming of Star Trek: The Original Series.  DeForest Kelley complained to Gene Roddenberry about a script.  Kelley told Roddenberry, “Shatner gets five pages of dialog, Nimoy gets four pages of dialog, and I get half a page of dialog.”  As a lifelong Star Trek fan, it is a given that I’d use that to create a page in my web comic.

Dungeons & Dragons game masters:  This is a lesson that I learned the hard way.  You should make time for your shy players to have their characters in the spotlight.  Ask your shy players several questions about what their characters are doing, how they are supporting their party, or what their characters plans are for the future.  For example, having a party make plans to construct their bastion gives them a home; while discourages your characters from becoming murder hobos.

This inclusive play strategy includes asking the talkative players to quiet down.  That allows shy players to assist in making individual and party goals.  And then, allow your players the time to collectively make plans to achieve those goals.

Mike’s 12 pack

Of all the low alcohol beverages I’d had in my life, Mike’s varieties of lemonade are my favorite drinks.

James Buchanan style Tomato Soup

I add a can of diced tomatoes with a can of tomato soup to make great tasting tomato soup!  What do you do to improve the flavor of your breakfast, lunchtime, or dinner bowl of tomato soup?

Angry Cab Comic, Chapter 10, Page 2

I introduced WASS financial inspector Cat Cosmo Catlin.  One of my readers asked me to create additional characters for my comic.

This fictional version of Larry Hunt loves closed faced sandwiches and bottled beer.  Also, Larry’s meeting with Cat is happening in a WASS base hallway.  Larry’s office is being renovated by WASS construction workers.

Angry Cab Comic, Chapter 10, Page 1

My King Manor and Tri-Towers readers have told me face to face that they love the return of Angry Cab Comic!