Where’s the video poker machines - Review of Island View

For the first page CLICK HERE (page 2 in comments etc.)
‘Oh no honey, it’s 44’’
So I finally got my Vegas experience and although it wasn’t a great success from a money point of view, it was a great first experience.
Like every player I’ve wandered about what Vegas would be like ever since I first played cards, watched 2 months 2 million and saw the famous Chris Moneymaker footage.
We go back roughly six years in time and we found a very young me in New Zealand. I was there for a Marketing internship and was already grinding the low stakes online .If you ever have the opportunity for sure go to New Zealand, and play in the SkyCity Tower Casino in Auckland. Very nice poker room with a view over the whole city . I always sold a bit of action to play live because I definitely wasn’t rolled for those games, being an intern student.
Anyways, my internship ended and I have my good friend Rick visiting me all the way from Holland. We find ourselves sitting in the Irish Pub, drinking Heino’s.
We’ve had a good amount of them and I notice an older woman a few tables further down winking at me. I’m 22 and tell Rick what I just noticed. Being a true friend he immediately encourages me to seal the deal. ‘A true milf man, you have to go for it’. I approach her, we have a drink and she tells me she’s 34 years old and from Brazil. 12 years age difference and from South America, nice.
We end up in her hotel room and the next day Rick, me and another guy are off the South Island. I can still remember the cab driver laughing when I told him about what happened the night before. During our trip in the South Island we visited the casino in Christchurch. I’m the first one to sit down and there’s an Asian gentleman next to me in seat 1, he’s in the middle of a big pot when he is handed the hot tea he ordered. Being polite he decided to take it off the waitress and put it on one of the tables close to him, but not without getting up from his chair. It was his turn to act and when he turned around, literally 10 seconds later, he saw that the dealer mucked his hand. This led to an incredible outburst which was very understandable to be honest. His hand must have been very strong. Poker is weird, if someone gets screwed it’s always funny, except when it’s you. It’s like seeing people miss the train after giving it all during a last sprint, it never gets old.
I didn’t speak to the Brazilian woman but when we were back in Auckland I decided to contact her. She’s keen to meet again that night, she’s staying at another hotel.
Being a young gentleman I invite her to a classy place for some drinks. We’re casually talking and I mention I really would love to go to Vegas one day. She said ‘Oh it’s great I’ve been there 15 years ago’. I ask her how that’s possible because she’s 34 and you have to be 21 to go out and play. She looks at me and says ‘Oh honey, no not 34, 44’. Well this was certainly interesting, the age difference wasn’t 12 but 22 years. We had a great night and apparently she focused more on her performance between the sheets than she did on making breakfasts in the past 44 years. Worst breakfast of my life.
Back in the now, I’ve returned home from Vegas and the money part starts worrying me a bit in the back of my mind. It’s not that I didn’t have money, I just didn’t want to spend money while being home. Money had better purposes, I’d rather spend it towards experiences like the Vegas trip and finding yourself in spots to sleep with 22 year older woman. However, the gap year was a calculated decision, so at the end of the day it would be fine. The only thing you can do is keep showing up and play your best.
Within 5 days I got a really good run online and won the full 5k back, this is great. Vegas has basically been turned into a free trip now. In the meantime Gary let’s me know he’s staying close to the mailbox while being home, he doesn’t want his mom or dad to find a hospital bill. I picture the scene out of Harry Potter where Harry is waiting for his letter from Hogwarts. Things are going a whole lot better for our other Irish friend Clicki, he made the final table of the Crazy 888 WSOP event! One thing is sure, that backer he wanted to keep happy, he must have been very happy.

CHAPTER 6
Astrapian City
SpenceSpecter Journal:
Entry - ??? It's been days and weeks since the Castle of the Valkyrie Queen crashed into the surface of the earth. Mostly I don't know where the heck are we... However I’m back to the Clan...
There is no place like Home...
I never thought that this place can look so good. The Specter Clan did a fantastic job in making it secure.

Specter says "Darkcrow, can you walk now?" "Well... With the Mechanic's help, I can walk, but it's going to take awhile before my leg is healed completely." He replied Spencer sits on his bed and think about what can he do.

Melody interview with my Clanmates, How did she found Specter also known as Me the Legendary Demon-Hunter.
One of the elf girl said "OMG! HOW DID YOU FOUND THE REAL SPECTER BLACKWING" and she continued ask questions for an extended period of time.
Melody said "Did you know about Me and Specter? I'm his Girlfriend." The Elf Girl said "OMG! Me and my friend have been waiting for this day for years! We've been Specter fans from the beginning! Sooooo... You guys are together now?" Melody replied "Well maybe... I do love Specter, He so cool and edgy..." The Elf Girl said "AHHHH, She's soooo Lucky to have him!" and they decided to scream in romantic excitements Melody blushed and stopped the rest of her reply.
Roger legs has fixed and he gone to trained outside in the clan with the clan mechanics. The clan mechanics added some new features of weapon in his robotic hand. Also the clan warriors added some new features of armor on his robotic body. After the upgrades, Roger is ready for combat for future missions.
The Clan Warrior said "This is the new metal coats for your new body, It can protect you from Corrosion and Bullets!” Roger will be a great robot warrior for the Specter Clan!
Lily, well she is now awake and has a interview with the knights on the other kingdom about the crash of the Castle of the Queen Valkyrie. She also has a chat with the Mechanic's of the Elf Clan about her motor skills.
Spencer said "Yeah, well it's good that she enjoy herself and not think about the sad stuff."
Victor, on the other hand, he kinda problem in his past-life as a Gambler. He can't stop thinking about it, he even tried to get the Specter help him to get cured, but they couldn't help.
Victor is a total greed loving Magi-Caster and I liked him... But his problem, is he attached on a past life. What is he hiding?
The next day after training and having fun, the Clans resume their meeting.

Specter says "Axelegore kill my partner Lurk and I have to avenge him for good. But i need the 7 orbs to combine into "The Elemental Orb" "The Elemental orb is a powerful magic artifact. It was used by the 6 knights of Lairon, but the creation of the Elemental orb is Unknown..." Specter explained the story
Specter says "Gizmo, The Small Chimera Furry who the former of the Axelegore Orders and has reveal the story of Axelegore Plan and the 6 knights but he died due to the battle with Cupiditas in The Castle of the Valkyrie Queen..." Gizmo is the Chimera Furry with a chip on his shoulder, but he has a bit of a hero complex. I can relate to that.
Specter says "We got the 5 orbs and the next one is the Electric Orb." The Mechanic's look at the 5 orbs and then to Specter. "We can make a Orb." One of the Mechanic's Replied.
Specter says "You can't unless you got them all 12 of them..." One of the Mechanic's look at each other and said "What, do we do?" "Well... We got the 5 orbs correct?" "Correct!
Specter says "Victor, did you seen the Electric Orb before?" "Yes, I saw it in the treasury before all of this chaos broke loose." Victor said with regret. "We have to get it back then."

Victor said "Mostly the Electric Orb was on Astrapian City, The most futuristic city with full of Money and Violence. It was found by the mayor for some unknown reasons. "It's know for power the entire city." "Do you remember where?" "Yes, It was in the Empire Astrapia State Building." "Can we get it?" Victor said "It's a risky try..." "We have to take down the entire state security force with all the Mercenaries and military there to defend it.”
Victor said "The mayor is worked for Axelegore, His name is unknown but the people called him The Black Dragon"

Specter says "Black Dragon, Is that the 4th orders?" "Yes they are, they were created recently. but yeah, that person is very dangerous.

List of Axelegore Orders
The Sky Crasher Leader: Gruz "They are the one, Sky Pirates who try to fly by shooting and cast magic to destroy all of the traveling ship and make them to banned traveling with airship all over the world and make their home."
The Dark Mechanicus Leader: Cogwheel "They are the ones who have all invented the really big and dangerous machine for the warfare and combat that does most of what the Dark Mechanicus does.
The Phantom Cultist Leader: Light "They are the ones who use their magic to battle and cast through the battlefield. They are the magical and powerful of all the orders.
The Black Dragon Leader: The Black Dragon. "This is the most unknown order, they are invisible to everyone except other members and seem to only be used as assassins by the other orders."

Specter says "They are one tough Orders..." "We can try but the attempt is most dangerous and failed to do this." Darkcrow said. Victor said "We are ready to go then, let's head to the city."
Specter says "Right, we got a world to save!" Victor and you all head to the city and begin your attempt to save the world.

The Astrapian City is a miles away from my Clanhouse and my Village but it's a very long walk to prepare for the Electric Orb... I packed up some food as well as the Orbs also my old dagger and my ropes...

Specter says "Where can i use the ropes for?" The ropes are for climbing big and small rocks. so, you can try climbing some nearby rocks. You find a few rocks you can climb near your current location.
Specter says "Well, i have to use the ropes or the dagger later until we headed to Astrapian City..." You begin to climb the rocks while packing the Orbs in your pack. While climbing, you accidentally drop one of the Orbs.

Victor grab and said "I got it!" and after a quick examination of the Orb, he said "Yes, it's still good!" You all continue to climb rocks until one of the rocks you are climbing is slightly wet.
After you climb a thousands steps. You see a great view and found Astrapian City.
"Woah..." he whisper. "We have to be very careful now, we are in their lands and they may have powerful fighters." Victor says.

Specter says "You got it!" Victor says "Right then, let's start heading to the city and quietly drop our pace until we find a good place to sleep." You all continue your journey to Astrapian City.

Astrapian City A cyberpunk world where everyone is a gambler, perverts, hackers, creepers and rogue.
"Everything is illegal is legal" is their motto!
Interesting Fun Fact! Astrapian City has the highest crime rate in Lairon Region! (Surprised?)
The buildings are tall and the streets are very wide. There is a large park area in the center of the city.
The city is ruled by a The Black Dragon and his council of advisors.

Specter says "What a bunch of rogue..." Just a bunch of gamblers and perverts though. We should ask for a job at the gambling hall... Well, looks like we are already in a lot of trouble.

Victor said "Those guys can break a skull on you for good!" which scared you a bit. You all go into a dark alley way to rest for the night.
Roger sleeps while standing up and Victor get a little too close to your personal space before going to sleep.

Specter says "This is kinda creepy place..." The three of you look around and see if there is any potential danger. "Yeah, this place is creepy..." Victor says in a low voice. You all feel your weapons ready just in case.

Well it's just a drunk guy who drank a lot of beer... and passed out. Still, might be best to keep an eye on him. The Six all proceed to sleep and wait for midnight to start to find the Electric Orb.

Specter wake up and their items got stolen! They all wake up at the same time and check your stuff.

To his surprise, his weapons are gone. He look at Victor, he's still asleep, he whisper to him that his weapons are missing.

Specter says "Damnit! Victor wake up our stuff is gone!" Victor slowly wake up and feel his stuff. "Hmm, my things are gone too..." "Well I guess we might as well get up..."
Specter says "Where the thief at!" You all notice the drunk guy sleeping at the end of the alley. You wonder if he is the one who took your stuff.

Then you wonder if killing him is going to make things worse for you.

Specter says "Hey, you drunk head! Where our stuff!" The drunk guy wakes up and immediately realizes something is wrong. You all wonder if it would be better to wait for him to pass out again. However, he starts running in your direction.
Specter says "Hey, that the Thief! Get him!" You all quickly begin chasing the guy. You try to grab his leg, however he eludes your grasp. By now other people have seen the commotion and are also taking an interest.
Specter says "Where the orbs and our stuff!" The Drunk guy starts running in random directions trying to get away from you all. The drunkard runs into a dead end alley and the Specters and you all wonder what to do next.
Specter says "I tell you one last time! Where is our stuff!" Victor then says something that surprises you all. "We might as well let him go and get our stuff back, he is just a little drunk right now..."

The drunk guy return the weapons and the orb back to Specter and run away from him
And Specter said "God! I hate this city!" So, the thief was not punished, but you are all satisfied that he will not do it again. But you realize there something over the dead end alley wall.
It's the Empire Astrapia State Building! Making you all think... "Hey, I thought that...!" Victor says something that surprises you all.
The Empire Astarpia State Building One of the Tallest Building in Astarpian City. It's also the Tallest Building in Entire Lairon Region with over 150th floors and powered and controlled by the Electric Orb with 1,000,000 gigavolts per years!
It was named Astrapia State Building by Victor as a joke for the Mayor.

Specter says "That's the Empire Astrapia State Building, or should i called E.A.S.B" "So Victor, what are you going to do with the Empire Astrapia State Building?" "I'm going to make a profit of course!" "Wait but isn't it illegal to use?

Victor said "Have you read the motto of Astarpian City?" "No?" "It's Everything is illegal is legal!" Victor then said "If you know what you are doing, it's perfectly legal to use.

Specter says "What kind of motto is that..." "Indeed." "How stupid can the government of this city get? (Sigh) Well, we can come back for the Building later, I guess. “Are you questioning my intelligence?" "No, but I’m asking you a question. Darkcrow can't stand up yet. but he found a way to enter the Empire Astrapia State Building. There two girls employees are entering the dressing room at the back door. And he saw one of the mafia with a VIP pass entering the E.A.S.B entrance door.
Specter says "Darkcrow, What's your plan?" "Plan? I don't have a plan, yet." "Just wait, maybe the best way is to..." Melody and Lily interrupts Darkcrow plan. Darkcrow said "Geez! What you doing here..." They both replies at the same time "Specter's orders!" Lily said. "We're here to escort you to the Empire Astrapia State Building! Melody said. Darkcrow complain. "Specter!"
Specter says "Well.. I don't even know... because I like some girls escort our team..."

Darkcrow punched Specter in a shoulder. "Ow! Why you punch me for?" "I don't know... I’m just pissed at something right now!" Darkcrow secretly doesn't want the girls joining his team mission. One of the gang at outside at the entrance of the E.A.S.B said to the gambler who want to gamble in E.A.S.B "Hey man, Give me your money or we'll beat you up!" Gang beat the Gambler to his death and drop his VIP pass.
"What the?" Victor said when he saw the crime.
"Well, it's obvious now that this is a perfect place to steal some stuff!" Specter said.

Specter steal the VIP pass.

"Alright team, we need to get out this stinky alley and find the Electric Orb!" Victor nods. You all take a good look outside the Empire Astrapia State Building. But the guards blocking you and said "May i see your pass, please?

Specter present his VIP pass.

You and the rest of your team pass the guards while they say "Wow! You're really lucky, man! Welcome to the Empire Astrapia State Building!"
Empire Astrapia State Building A huge skyscraper. While you're on the 40th floor, you can see the nice views of Astarpian City. This means that there should be some spare items around here somewhere.

Specter says "We need to register a room to rest up for the plan."

And you're all surprised to see that this city has a hotel on top of the sky city. Of course, it's the Empire Hotel Astarpia State Building.
The hotel room has a very luxury bedroom, kitchen, and a very large living room. A butler awaits your orders and ready to serve you at all times. You can make people think you're really rich by just telling them your name is Master Specter.
The butler announced the Black Dragon has a ceremony at E.A.S.B event hall. Tonight at 12:00 AM "Be there or we'll kill you!"
"You bet, boys!" Victor said. You nod at each other. "Go get some rest of the guys, we're heading to the ceremony." Specter ask. "Yes, Master Specter." The butler leave your hotel room.

Specter says "Geez! What we gonna do to get the Electric Orb!"

Victor says "I don't know." Spencer thinks for a moment. Roger says "Does anyone remember where the location of the location was? Victor said "Basically it's on the top to the tower." Spencer stands up "Let's get to the 100th floor!"

Specter says "But, how we gonna get the Electric Orb without getting caught by Black Dragon and his guards"

Specter hears and saw in the peephole. About those Bunny-Suit waitress talking in the hallway about The Black Dragon Identity.
The one waitress said "Did you know that he is working with Axelegore. That's why we should sit next to the VIP area in the event hall." Another waitress replies "Well, I heard he is the head of the Black Dragon Order.”

Specter says "Melody, Lily. I think you gotta need a distraction as the Bunny Girls Waitress at The Black Dragon."

"Haha, good idea!" Victor laughs. Spencer says "Victor, let's use your trick card to open the control room."

Specter says "Darkcrow, Roger. You guys up to make money at the Casino for me."

Darkcrow said "You serious, man?" Roger said "Yeah, I'm programmed to never ever to do gambling!" Victor says "Well, you can help me at the Control Room instead." Darkcrow said "Really, this is my worst mission of my life!

Specter says "I bet you, all the money from the Casino is yours!

Darkcrow agreed with his greedy attitude "Deal!" Melody replied "Hey Specter, why do I really need to distract The Black Dragon with the Bunny Suits anyways?"
Spencer says "I think the plan is, you seduce him with the bunny suit to prevent him from calling the guards, so we can get the orb from the room. also you with Lily!

Specter says "Lily, on the other hand is also has a Magi-Ability: Lilith"

Linda "Lily" Lilith Skyhound, The Demon Pilot in the Sky, Specter Ex-Girlfriend.
Magi-Ability: Lilith She can turn into a lilith or a succubus and any type of class such as Knight, Wizard or Cleric anything she wants! According to her beautiful and seductive dress of the entire female class!
She can take the job of a magical-demon to be tricked actively by the Black Dragon, but she is not stupid and agrees with Specter. Lily said "I agreed with the plans of Specter, also if I wears the bunny suits, I can turn my class Pilot into Magician! " Spencer: "Yes, I think you can do it. Lily said "Melody, are you doing this?" Melody replied "Of course :)" Lily said "Beautiful, let's get ready!"
11:55 PM before the shows started…
The plan has already started at E.A.S.B. Lily and Melody are in the dressing room where they going to serve some wine to the mayor also known as The Black Dragon, Darkcrow is on his black suits and got some chips and some cheating cards to his pocket. While Specter, Roger and Victor wearing a suit and they now going to the 100th floor.
The Bunny Waitress Team is on their way to the Casino as well, Specter decide not to tell them of the plan, they will probably just do the distraction.
Darkcrow is on his poker table with some Mafia around him. He gulp nervously... and he got the sweat all over him and said "Oh, hello there!" The mafia has a menacing look all over him! "Do you know how to play game?" The game master asks politely. "Why yes! I got a huge game of 5D-Jacks going on right now! Come let do this!" Darkcrow says happily.
Darkcrow sweating nerverously and wished "Man, i wish Roger should join me in this Casino!
Meanwhile, Victor, Specter and Roger enter the control room...
Spencer uses his magical powers, but no one is around, in fact the room seems deserted.

Specter says "No one here..." "It's empty!" Victor said with a creepy laugh. "Let's get the work done!" "What happens if the boss comes back?" Roger asks.
Specter says "Well, we have to stay focus." Suddenly, The Electric Orb is gone!

"Where is it?" Victor asks. "I don't know, someone must have took it." Roger says.

Specter says "It's must be that Black Dragon Guy at the Event Hall!"

"We have to find it!" Victor says. "Orb's power can be accessed by anyone." Roger points out.
Specter call Melody in her small microphone on her Bowtie.
"Melody! Lily! The Black Dragon got the Electric Orb!”
"We're in the begin in the ceremony now!" She replied. "Got it! Thanks Blueberry!" He replied. "We're on our way, we'll be there soon!" Roger said. "Huh, whoever he is, he must be a powerful and intelligent guy..." Victor mutters.

Specter end the call with Melody.

and Victor said "You called your Girlfriend, Blueberry?" "Yeah, she's a big hero around the campus..." Specter said with a cheeky smile. "Heh, well alright, I guess it's just as well that we have you along then."
Meanwhile at Melody...
Melody said "The Black Dragon got the Electric Orb!"
"That's great!" Lily replied. "Let's get going, we have to meet The Black Dragon in the ceremony!" Melody said. "OK!" She agreed.
The show announcer said "And now, the biggest guest! we like to announce..."
PLEASE WELCOME! THE MAYOR OF ASTARPIA CITY AND OWNWR OF E.A.S.B!
THE BLACK DRAGON! The Black Dragon has a shiny black silky tuxedo and a sharp white hair that cover his one eyes also with a black fedora and a Skull staff on his hand. He looks like Specter.
"Hello Everyone! Thank you for attending my biggest event so far!" He has a microphone in his hand.
Dragon said "This ceremony about my greatest city of them all and my biggest power in this city!"
Then, the Dragon begin to speaks...
"Now, I want you know that this event WILL be a historical moment! Axelegore, He one of my working partner with this work and this city, Our powers will rise above the world! I make this promise! Now, this isn't a speech this time, this is a question and answer session. If you don't ask me, you don't sit at the table! I HAD THIS! BABY!" he present the Electric Orb!
The Crowd gasp and say "WOW!" "Now, ask me a question, and i will answer!" The Dragon said while smiling. "This Orb can powered our City to the Unlimited Powers!" That mean More Crimes, More Violence’s and More Deaths in this Death Arena for those weaklings heroes who tries to restore the Orb! Now it's your turn to be the Dragon! "Why didn't you restored the other Orbs?" A Man asked. "It's a long story..." Dragon began to tell his tale... Dragon disagree the tale "But, it's a secret!" "Don't worry about it!" He replied. "But..." The Man said. "IT'S A TRUTH, NOT A BIG DEAL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU!" He replied angrily!" "I WANT TRUTH NOW!" He yelled to him!
Dragon yelled "OK, I'll reveal the truth, WHOEVER SHOOT THAT MOTHERFUCKING MAN HEAD WIN FOR A THOUSANDS BUCKS!" The man said "Wait, please no!" Then he turned to the Crowd and said "I'm sorry for my actions, I'm new at this and it was a mistake to come back here!"
Dragon said "IT'S TOO LATE! EVERYONE DRAW!" Everyone shoot at the Man Head and lead him in the painful death with a thousands bullet shot through the entire body...
The Black Dragon is a very powerful and dangerous man with a huge killing streak. Surprisingly, he dislikes to talk about his past.
Dragon said "What a Bloodbath! Guards, Send this man corpse to the Cremation Room. Before those grubs eaten him alive. Also here some thousands bucks whoever kill that guy!" He throw the Bill towards to the Crowd!
Everyone starts to grab the Bill! Dragon laughed insanely "Haha! I loved this city!" Melody was serious and said "What a dangerous man..."
Suddenly, Dragon invited "Who's that pretty woman? You want to join us for some drinks?" He pointed his staff to Melody... Melody accepted, this is some kind of amazing thing... Melody said "Me?"
"Yes, come sit next to me!" Dragon replied. "Really?" She replied back. "Yes, really! Don't I know you?" Dragon questioned. Melody walk down the stairs and sit with Dragon but Lily started sit with Dragon, But he said "Stop! NOT YOU!"
Lily said "But..." Dragon replied "Aren't you the blue haired bunny-suit woman that I pointed to her? Lily said "Yes, I'm her partner." "Oh, you look prettier! Come sit next to me…” Dragon agreed her info! Melody and Lily were sitting next to Dragon… They talked about life as the mayor of Astarpian City and then he said. "So tell me, have you ever loved a boy before?"
Melody reply with embarrassment "Wha.. What? No! Please, who would love a girl like me? Dragon said "Tell me, have you ever loved a boy before?"
"Seriously?" She replied. "Serious" He replied. "No, why would I?" Melody replied again. "Tell me, have you?" Dragon replied again. "No! Melody replied. Dragon said "Well, this is your lucky day for you. Because I'm here!"
The next moment, Dragon started to stare at Lily very close...
Then he said "Hmmm, you're not quite pretty enough to be a succubus, but you could make an excellent-" Lily said "What?"
Dragon interrupted him "I was going to say you could make an EXCELLENT PAWN ... or MEAT..."
Lily ask the Crowd "WHAT?!" Meanwhile... Specter, Roger and Victor is now on the Casino and saw Darkcrow won a lot of pokers chips bets from the mafia. The mafia are well known defeated and broke!
Darkcrow said "FUCK YEAH! FIFTY TIMES IN THE ROW!" He high fived the Crowd surrounding him. Roger said "Let's stake our winnings here!"

Specter says "Yo! Dark! Are you done here?" Darkcrow said "Yeah! I won 50 times in a row!" Victor and Specter got some chips from Darkcrow. "Victor, what do you think of Darkcrow's winning? Victor, disagree his winning streaks and said "Amateur! I won 100 times in this Casino!" Darkcrow look confused and said "What? You're joking!" Victor said "I swear to God! I'm the best Gambler here! Darkcrow said "OH YEAH?"

"Yeah, you're still an amateur." Victor said and walk away. Specter said "Let's stake our chips here! Dark shouted "Oh yeah! Victor, For now on, You're now my rival!" and high fived him.
Victor said "Hah, you and your 50 winning-streak in the row. Enough with the High Fives! Let's play Poker right here! Right now!"

Specter says "Enough! You Greedy Rats! We're have to find Melody and Lily!" "Oh, sorry! Let's go!" Darkcrow said. They left the casino room to find Melody and Lily and Darkcrow came back to get the chips "Sorry, but the chips coming with us!" He steal the chips and put them in the loot bag!

Meanwhile... Melody and Lily trying their best to distract Dragon! "Hey you! Stop staring at my butt!" Lily said. "Oh wait, are you talking to me?" Dragon replied. "Yeah, you better stop that." she replied. "Or what?" he replied. Melody try to sneaky steal the Electric Orb... and Dragon caught her! "What are you doing?! You trying to shock me?" he said in annoyance. "NO! But you have to let us go." Melody replied. "Oh yeah, I should let you go..." Dragon said. She smiled. "NOT, IF I GIVE YOU A KISS!" Dragon laughed insanity. “No, No, No, No!” Melody tries to run for it! He ran towards her and kissed her.
Suddenly, Specter saw Dragon kissing Melody in her lips... Dragon saw Specter and said "Aw... was that your Girlfriend that I kissed her in front of you?"

Specter says Rghh..." Specter stare at Dragon angrily and completely cover with red haze and aura in his body! "Should have waited until we're alone!" Dragon now knows. Melody tries to free herself from Dragon, but he is too strong! “By the way, as the mayor of the Astarpian City, She is now shall will be my QUEEN!” Dragon shouted!
Specter says "YOU GET AWAY MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU FUCKING FREAK!" In his demonic voice! He dash towards Dragon and gave him a punch in the face cause his skull break and then another one, and then another one! But Dragon won't go down! He punch back, and then several of them!
Specter summon the dead, demon and ghosts from out of nowhere to be his ally to protect from the Crowd! Several Ghosts and Demons started to appear around the area! More ghosts, skeletons and demon appeared to back them up! "Come on Specters! Do your thing!" Darkcrow orders. Dragon cast his mysterious Magi, and blew many specters away, including the crowd! Grim and evil spirits are powerful indeed! The crowd shoot the dead with their Tommy Gun. But no effects to the dead! The ghost slice through the crowd! The crowd died instantly!
Specter cast his powerful weapon Hades Scythe! Dragon casted an spell against him, but Specter block the attack! Then, he used his weapon, Hades Scythe to cut Dragon's arm! It was bleeding! The battle now begin to heating up! Dragon said "Damnit! Where that Rogue come from!" Then, in a flash of light, Dragon see a man standing there holding a very large scythe! He was tall, with dark shadow aura and long red hair!
Specter says "Dragon, You're souls is mine... AND I WON’T FORGIVE YOU!!!" He swing his scythe and Dragon casted his own Magi against him, but the Specter easily blocked the attack! "Let's make one thing clear, before I kill you!"
Specter ignore his orders and attack his wrath! “IT’S TOO LATE, TO PAY YOUR CONSEQUENCE!” He attacked him, with several ghosts, skeletons, and demons supporting him! Dragon casted some sort of shield against Specter attack! The clash of the powerful auras shock both fighters and their minions!

Suddenly, Dragon cast Nova! Nova appears to be a powerful explosion of light and sound! He can barely hear anything, but he see everything! Demons, Specters and even some ghosts blown away instantly!
“NGAHHHHH! DRAGOOOOON!” Specter shouted!
Dragon is retreating with his cutted right arm and left the Electric Orb behind. Dragon run for his life and got collapse on the ground and Suddenly, the mysterious pirate grab him and take him to the familiar ship.
Dragon said "Thanks for saving me, Gruz..." Gruz reply "No problem, but I think it's time we stop this little fight. The other group is ready to retreat this rogue wrath." "Hmm, let me just finish this fight, and then we can attack together!" Dragon replied
Gruz said "I'm afraid, you can't do that! Step on it, Sizzling Sisters! We have to retreat!"
The Sky Crasher ship retreat to the another place instead of the E.A.S.B.
Meanwhile... Melody and her teams trying to stop Specter wrath, Specter walking down the hallway to the exit to find Dragon!
Melody said "Specter! Just listen to me!" But he's not listening to anyone. He's too focused on killing Dragon cowering at the Sky Crasher ship. Melody said "Come on! Specter! Just listen to me!" She grab him and kiss him!

Specter heart is filled with love... He calmed down the Wrath... The shadows aura began to fade away..
Specter return to his former self... Melody take back her right hand away from him and just stood there awkwardly "Uh... Just let me come with you..." He said sadly. She said "Sorry Specter."
Specter says "Melody..." She turn around and she run away. She left him standing alone.

Meanwhile in Dragon...
Gruz said "Dragon, I can't believe that Specter Boy, destroyed your headquarter!"
Dragon said "Heh! I know..." Gruz said "I take it you want revenge?" Dragon said "Of course..." Gruz nods and hands over a small black orb.
Gruz, The Captain of the Sky Crasher Magi-Ability: Chaos
The Black Dragon, Leader of the Black Dragon Magi-Ability: Omega
Gruz: He can cast every Dark Magi from every Dark Magi-User.
Dragon: While Dragon on the Other Hands. He has the power to cast every Magi whatever he likes!
Gruz: Well, Axelegore is on Death Island with the Entire Orders also aren't you wanna stay with your crew at Death Island first, It's for resting for the battle you and that Specter Boy?
Dragon: Yes, fly your ship to Death Island.
Gruz: WELL THEN, OF WE GO TO DEATH ISLAND!
END OF CHAPTER 6
You have reached to Chapter 6

Continuing...
“I say that you’re way the fuck out of line, Chuckles. Are you an educated, experienced, fully licensed and internationally renowned master blaster?” I asked.
“No, but…” he tried to continue.
“But nothing, Scooter.” I said, “What, other than your insane xenophobia and nationalism, causes you to come to such unfounded, not to say stupid, conclusions?”
He looked down at the deck. Evidently, he was not used to being challenged in such a manner. He realized he walked face-first into a metaphorical wood chipper.
“I’m waiting for your answer, pally.” I continued.
Still nothing. He was either deep in thought or ill at ease from newly soggy undergarments.
“Want to know why I chose what I did? Fine, meet back here in 15 damn minutes.”
He looks at me with a most perplexed, and ignorant, look on his face.
“Dax, Cliff? I need you.” I say.
We go back to the weapons locker and I explain my idea.
“Let’s load a case of typical, TYPICAL Chinese-made dynamite. Then let’s load a case of American C-4. Be very careful with that leaky Chinese shit. Wait one. I’ll do it if you want and you can handle the C-4.” I say.
“Ah, Rock; yeah. We’d appreciate it. You being the Pro from Dover, after all.” Cliff agrees.
“No worries”, I say, “I got this. You make me up a nice, tightly packed case of C-4. For demonstration purposes.”
I find a near-empty case of dynamite and begin to judiciously fill the thing with random samples of shitty and leaky Chinese manufactured and Korean not-too-well-cared-for dynamite.
This stuff was so incredibly shitty and poorly manufactured that even when leaking and nasty, it was nowhere near as dangerous as its Western counterpart. It was loaded with so much and many interstitials, like sawdust, diatomaceous earth, literal horseshit, and shredded newspaper, the nitro denatured itself to some degree as it oozed out.
Plus, in the non-climate controlled weapons locker; the high humidity, salt air, and poor circulation from the small open grate facing the sea, the nitro had desensitized somewhat and evaporated. It left only sticky, thin, fly-ridden films rather than the usual ‘waiting for a good reason to explode’ puddles.
It was in no way as twitchy as that locker back in Nevada. Oh, but be assured, it was still a shit show.
If I really wanted to, I could blow myself, this boat and all occupants into the next dimension rather easily, but it was nothing like that old locker back in that disused Nevada mine. I still needed to be scrupulously careful as there could potentially be puddles of the pale yellow, viscous liquid explody stuff, instead of the thin films I was mostly finding.
Either way, it required caution and judiciousness.
Nitro’s twitchy as fuck and the last thing I need is a dropped nail, blasting cap, or hunk of the rotten box falling into an errant nitro wet patch…
Extra attention was exercised.
Dax and Cliff are halfway through, and I’m still picking through the leaky, smelly bundles.
“Next time”, I mused to myself, “I‘m writing in a ‘Handling fucked-up explosives”-clause in my contract. No matter how much I’m being paid for this, it ain’t enough…”
We find a couple of expendable, dry-rotted ‘life preserver’ floaty-rings, upon which we secure both cases of explosives. They’re tethered with a rope and primed with a number of blasting caps.
I let the head local Korean crank examine both to ensure that I’m not trying to pull a fast one.
He did not notice the 3-pound bag of Tannerite (an impact-actuated explosive) I snuck in the middle of the box of Chinese TNT.
“Now. Satisfied that they’re equal?” I asked. “Nothing fishy here. Just dynamite in bundles, with caps. Then, over here, C-4 blocks with cap. OK?”
He was satisfied; but only after letting a couple of the shiny suit squad check as well.
“Well”, I smirked,” So much for your ‘covert observation’, asshole.” This guy was DPRK secret service or equivalent.
“Holy cold-pack cheese-food product fuck”, I cogitate, “They are so goddamned suspicious”.
I ask Dax to go over to the pilothouse and borrow the mauled AK-47 I saw hanging on the bulkhead there. They keep it for run-ins with cranky sharks, walruses, and lovesick blue-footed boobies evidently.
“OK, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll float each out, and I‘ll trail with demolition wire. Once we’re a few hundred meters out, you can press the big, shiny, green button and detonate your dynamite. I even used 6 blasting caps, to give each bundle its own. You saw that. We green?” I ask.
He was, although suspicious of what I had in mind. He agreed although he refused to use my terminology, the stodgy prick.
So float away the dynamite case we did.
The case of Chinese dynamite floated out and away from the boat, leaving an oily slick in its wake. As it got to around 200-225 meters or so, I requested a rendition of the Korean version of the Safety Dance, as it was just too fucking hilarious to watch.
Once completed, I handed Doubting Korean Thomas the detonator.
“Your turn, Tweedles”, I said, “Hit the button to spark off your “much-better-than-the-West’s” Oriental dynamite.”
He grabbed the detonator, gnashed a tooth in my direction, and mashed down on the big, shiny, green button with a vengeance.
PFftt! PAH-foof! fuff
There was a cheery little pop, a puff of acrid smoke, and not much else.
Let it be said from the onset that I just selected examples of the Oriental manufactured dynamite at random. I didn’t look for the worst or leakiest. Though truthfully I really didn’t have much too choice in the matter.
“You! You swindled me! You knew the dynamite wouldn’t explode! Somehow you knew it!!” he swore in my general direction.
“Try it again”, I said after retrieving the detonator and doing a quick re-wire to another bank of blasting caps.
“Gumeong-e bul!” [“Fire in the hole!”].
MASH goes the big, shiny, green button anew.
Pfffft!” *Pop. Poooof! Piffle. Blerp.
Nothing but a cute little pop, a poof, and a few acrid puffs of smoke.
He was crestfallen.
He had taken on the Motherfucking Pro from Dover in a necessarily explosive subject, with inevitably disastrous results.
I asked if anyone here was weapons trained. A couple of Coasties raised their hands.
“And you are? “ I asked the closest one.
“Lt. P'an Tae-Hyun, Sir”, as he snaps a snappy salute.
“Groovy.”, I reply and retrieve the AK from Dax.
“Can you squeeze off a couple of shots and hit that floating box of dynamite?” I asked.
“Yes, sir!” he replied, smiling.
“OK then”, I replied and turned to the crowd.
“Dynamite is usually pretty stable stuff and won’t detonate without a blasting cap or impulse source. A bullet will most certainly not detonate it. However, I’ve stuck in 3 pounds, imperial, of Tannerite, which is a type of binary explosive used for targeting. Tannerite will most definitely and energetically explode when impacted by a high-velocity bullet. I think we can agree that an AK-47 round is high-velocity?” I asked.
There were nods and a buzz of general agreement.
“Now, there’s the better part of a case of unexploded dynamite out there. That’s what we in the business call very, very fucking dangerous. Now those three pounds of Tannerite should vaporize everything within a 10-meter radius if it detonates as designed. Agreed?” I asked.
Again, there were nods and a buzz of general agreement.
“Lieutenant P'an?” I asked, “At your discretion. Fire at will. Or the dynamite case, as it were.”
He nodded. He walked over to the furthest point on the stern, checked to see everyone was back and out of harm’s way, as he was a consummate professional. He futzed around with the old AK for a bit and took a shot.
It was low and outside.
“Ball one”, I snickered.
“Sights are off. Not any problems.” He remarked.
The next round found its mark. The Tannerite exploded adeptly.
It threw sticks of unexploded Chinese dynamite over a 20-meter radius. They each sank into the briny deep leaving only an oily spot to mark their entry and eventual watery grave.
The top of the case of dynamite was blown off, but the floaty ring remained. We reeled it back in to find a few more scorched, but unexploded, sticks of fine Oriental manufacture explosive on the bottom of the case.
These were motherfuckingly dangerous. Cantankerous dynamite has no place on a ship.
I remarked, however, that this would be no problem. Dax and Cliff brought up the case of C-4, which I had wired with one single blasting cap and booster.
We had Korean Doubting Thomas and his shiny suit buddies give it the once over to ensure I wasn’t trying to pull a fast one.
He agreed, it was nothing but C-4 as advertised.
One of the more expendable Coasties jumped down on the stern transom-rack which is just above the waterline on the back of the boat. He wired the two rings together and set them adrift, tethered by a good nylon rope with my nasty, silky demolition wires trailing.
Dax was working the rope and I was handling the spool of demolition wire. I had a good 350 meters of the stuff on the spool and wasn’t about to return a single centimeter.
Old habits and all.
As they floated away, Mr. Kwan asked if we’d like a bit of refreshment, as, gosh, it sure was dusty out here today.
Of course, we agreed in unison.
Good old Mr. Kwan.
So, we’re unspooling our lines slowly, drinking our end of the day refreshers, smoking cigars, and watching our Oriental colleagues getting antsier every minute.
I knew what a case of C-4 was going to do when detonated. It would be one hell of a show.
I was so confident with my design I had Lt. P’ay return the AK to the pilothouse. Wouldn’t work here anyways if the C-4 failed to detonate.
But that’s not going to happen.
Dr. Pro from Dover Rocknocker has spoken.
Finally, I’m almost out of demolition wire, and Dax has tied off the tether.
I motion over to Herr Doubting Thomas and hand him the detonator.
“For ye of little faith”, I smiled, recalling the entreaty that even Satan quotes the Bible for his own nefarious uses.
But first, an encore of the Korean Safety Dance. They're guaranteed to raise a smile.
I look to the character fumbling with the detonator.
“At your convenience, good sir”, I say, dripping insincerity.
“Gumeong-e bul!” [“Fire in the hole!”]. Mash goes the big, shiny, green button.
KA-MOTHERING-FUCKINGLY-HUGE-BOOM!
Even over 300 meters away, every one of us not only saw but felt that shock wave. It was like a solid Savate kick to the chest. The boat even rocked a bit in appreciation.
I smile, retrieved the detonator, safe it, and reply: “And that is the singular reason why I used good old American manufacture C-4 as a sonic seismic source rather than shitty, leaky Oriental dynamite. Any further questions?”
He shook his head in agreement, bowed slightly in my direction, slunk away, and that was the very last we ever saw of Mr. Korean Doubting Thomas.
The Captain saw and felt the detonation. He put the boat in park, actually, he handed it over to the sub-pilot for station keeping and came back to the fantail.
He wanted to know if we were now officially finished with our project.
We maintained that we were and it had come off very, very successfully; in no small degree because of his boat handling abilities.
He came over to me and shanghaied one of the translators.
“Doctor Stone?” he asked.
“Hrmph. Close enough.” I smiled.
“May I be first to congratulate your team. In eight sorties, you and your teams are the first to fulfill mission parameters. I am pleased to say that this will go on all our permanent records. It will mean bonuses for all present. I salute you.” And does with a naval flourish.
“No shit? Well, thanks, Cap”, I reply, “But I’m just the den mother for this special education class. Without them, and all their hard work, it’d never have happened.”
“I knew you would say this”, he smiled, “You are leader of men. We see that. You are teacher, but also not afraid to work. You should do this more often. Use your education and experience to train and teach others.” He says, shaking my hand.
Now it’s time for me to wonder. Did he hear of my offer back home? I don’t think he did, I’ve been playing those cards very close to the vest, as it were. I am now officially confused and bebothered.
But, since I don’t believe in anything, much less coincidence, I’m going to chalk it up to happenstance and just gratefully consider the source.
He asks that we wait here and he’ll return forthwith.
“On a boat this size, there are not too many places we can sneak off to…” I chuckle.
He returns with a very, very old bottle of something quite unidentifiable since it appears to be lacking a label. He yells something in official Korean and suddenly, a tray with little, itty-bitty demitasse-style glasses appear along with some smoked fish, I think, nibbles of some kind.
He pours a dram for all present. No one dares take as much as a preemptory sniff until he’s finished with the ceremony.
Everyone thusly charged, he begins a toast.
“Shoo-buddy”, I think, “I’ve been down this road before.”
It was quick, succinct, brief, and laudatory.
According to him, we had ‘hung the moon’.
I liked this style of toasting. Left more time to drink and for camaraderie.
The project thus finished, as we were running out of potables, especially freshwater, victuals, and toilet paper; we were headed back to base. That is, back to the hotel to see what our comrades who chose to stay onshore had developed.
But, that was going to be for another day. First, we needed to chug our way back to port, both literally and figuratively.
Ahem.
Before which, though, there were some housekeeping and paperwork chores. Dax, Cliff, and I did a quick reconnaissance of the explosives locker and created a ‘used’ manifest; which all three of us signed.
They may be officious, they may be obtrusive, but damn, they certainly love their goddamned paperwork over here.
We gave copies to the head shiny suit, one for the Captain, and we retained copies for our records. Along with notes that we expended two rounds from the pilothouse AK, as we were trying to out-officious these officious paper-pushers.
We made certain the keys were returned and logged in the proper logbooks and the explosives locker was locked securely, solidly, and soundly. Before which, we policed up the weapons locker and actually offered to the gods of the briny deep, quite the quantity of unsafe, leaky dynamite, and other ordinance that was more a disaster waiting to happen rather than inventory.
Seawater would neutralize the nasties and in the case of anything metallic, it’d be gone within a fortnight. and the phosphates might provide some nice fertilizer for some lucky passing Cnidarians. We were in water of near 45 fathoms. This stuff would never hurt another living thing.
The Captain was very pleased that we had taken that task upon ourselves. He wasn’t allowed to do anything about what was in the locker, but he was responsible for it and keeping the wrong people out of it. I commented that was a fairly stupid way of handling things, and he mentioned that he’d appreciate it if I made an official note of it to the powers that be once we go feet-dry, i.e., get back to shore.
I assured him we most certainly would.
From then on, all we had to do was putt-putt our way back to port.
It was going to take some hours and we’d end up berthing during the wee hours. This would not be a problem as our bus and driver would be waiting for us no matter what the time. He would briskly and without fanfare, return us to our hotel.
That we were actually looking forward to bunking back in the old hotel sort of gave one an idea of the Spartan arrangements we had endured for the last three days.
Most of the Westerners groused and complained in a humorous manner. Hell, it was only three bloody days. Some of our Oriental friends were so totally aghast they vowed to lodge formal complaints once they returned to dry land.
Landlubbers.
Odd that once we hit the beach, they all scattered to the four winds and not a single letter nor either a peep of protest was ever forthcoming.
Yes, this is an intensely weird place.
We wandered down the gangplank, cigars a-fume, and drinks recently and for one last time, refreshed by Mr. Kwan. The shiny suit squad was supervising the offloaded of the seismic data we had collected and had seen it soundly sealed and concealed in the very living bowels of the bus. It was to return with us to the hotel, where we’d demand a receipt. Then it would be off to the ‘Technological Center” on Scientific Street for processing.
They assured us that they’d handle that themselves. Evidently we were good enough to acquire the data, but not good enough to see the finished product.
Ack, Volna, and Ivan chuckled.
“OK, you pirates. What did you do?” I asked
“They can try with all their might. But without the decryption key, they’ll spend years processing encoded compressed nonsense.” They snickered. “We did offer to come and help set up the decryption for the decompression of the raw data, but they said they could handle it themselves. Oh, well. We tried. Seriously, we did.” Ack and Volna snickered.
“Well, keep it handy in case they come to their senses before we get out of here,” I said.
“Always our intention, Herr Denmother”, Volna chuckles.
“Oh, you heard that?” I snickered quietly.
Back at the hotel, the majority of us sent our sea-gear to our rooms via the on-site laundry. That being settled, the majority of us retired to the catacombs of the basement.
We needed strong drink, decent, non-tinned food, and seats that didn’t slop around every time you sat down.
Well, with the acquisition of our sea legs, two out of three wasn’t bad.
Since the hour was much too late, I decide that tomorrow, well, later today, would be a day of R&R for everyone.
Moreover, I was informed that tomorrow would be the “Day of the Sun” celebration, the insanely earnest celebration birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It’s supposed to be some sort of big, hairy nationwide deal. But aside from a couple of small posters, we heard little and knew less about the holiday and its celebration.
Everyone’s being even more uncharacteristically low key. It’s odd like there’s something weird going on here.
“What? Something weird and covert and sneaky going on in Best Korea? Pshaw, you old fart. You’re letting the paranoids get to you!”, I mused to myself.
This place will do that to you after a while.
I asked the front desk to place a note that made the rest of today a day of R&R in everyone’s mailbox. After another cigar, some decent prawn stir-fry, and a couple-twelve really stiff drinks, we were all ready to invade the land of Nod for a few hours.
I went downstairs for a drink, a nosh, and a smoke. I ran out of NK won as we tend to use them in Western Expat high-stakes poker games, so I needed to trade some of my weird Middle Eastern currency for weird Best Korea currency.
I was used to the 900:1 won:US dollar (equivalent) trade-off, but after cashing in the equivalent of US$500 in Middle Eastern dinero, I walked off with 650,000 won, not 450,000.
“Pardon me, Ms. Cashier”, I said to the nice little local woman behind the bird-cage security wires, “I do think you gave me too much.”
She took my stack, re-counted it, and proclaimed it correct.
“I thought the exchange rate was 900 to the dollar?” I asked.
“No”, she remarked, “Now 1,336.”
“Any idea what’s causing the fluctuations?” I asked.
She just smiled and shook her head ‘no’. I smiled back and tipped her 50 UAE dirhams for the information.
“Weird. Now what?” I mused.
Little did I know…
The next morning dawned dim and early as there some sort of something going on outside.
Oh, yes, it was ‘The Day of the Sun’ celebration. I discovered it was is an annual public holiday in North Korea celebrating the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder, and Eternal President and local Poobah-in-Charge of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to be the North Korean pseudo-secular equivalent of Christmas.
“Well,” I thought to myself, “I picked a damn good day to call for an R&R break.”
Then I found out, why no one told us about any of this is still unknown, that the next two days after the holiday would also be considered a holiday.
Come to find out, there are all sorts of intrusive, inconvenient, and wholly unnecessary nonsense that accompany these high holy days here in Best Korea. There are exhibitions, fireworks, song and dance events, athletics competitions, idea seminars: “Think about it!”, and visits to places connected with Kim Il-sung's life, including his birthplace in Mangyongdae.
Shops close, the hotel televisions block any other ‘programming’ and show only ‘special’ movies. Either ridiculously fake documentaries on the life of the also ever so ronrey Kim Il-sung or movies he especially enjoyed. People parade to his statue on Mansu Hill to deposit flowers; later in the day, it resembled a pollinated glacier.
There’s general obviously forced elation, all of which is extraordinarily strained and appears fake. People are trucked by the groaning busload to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where the dead maniac lies in state.
“Fuck this”, I said in the exact spirit of international amity, “I’m going to the bar.”
I go downstairs to the basement bar, and even though it’s a high holy day, it’s open early. It didn’t used to be open until the afternoon, but since we’ve arrived, they have adjusted their hours for us.
They have also doubled their daily receipts. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.
One of my favorite barkeeps was station keeping that morning. I greeted him in the usual style and expressed to Mr. Ho Gun the best holiday wishes.
“Hi! Ho!”, I said, “Annyeonghaseyo”, which comes out ‘Annie young eez-yo!’ in my Baja Canuckian dialect.
Mr. Ho laughs at my attempt at Korean, but he does appreciate the effort.
“Doctor Rock”, he says, “Dawn greetings. You will drink what?”
Nice and direct, I like that.
“Ye’ ken Greenland Coffee, me ol’ mucker?” I asked in a swirl of different dizzying dialects.
Koran confounds me, so I thought I’d return the favor.
“No, but I’m sure it’s coffee with some of your usual high-proof liquors, correct?” he smiles as I hand him a nice, oily Oscuro cigar.
“For Best Most Happy Returns: Day of the Sun”, I said, waggling the stogie, as I hand it over.
“However, you are correct. Normally, ‘authentic’ Greenland Coffee is a paltry 1/3rd ounce each of Whiskey, Kahlua, and Grand Marnier with excess coffee. Well, I don’t cotton to those liquors or measures. So my Greenland Coffee recipe, really from Greenland, by the way, is Siku Vodka, or any other high-octane vodka, as long as it’s premium. Then Immiak, which is Greenland’s version of Jagermeister, so let’s just go with Jager. Then finish it off with a shot of Tia Maria or Kahlua, if available. Oh, yes, then hot coffee. Silly me, almost forgot…” I conclude.
“And measures?” Mr. Ho asked.
“Whatever fills the cup”, I replied, in a bastardization of an old Russian toast.
“OK, how about a 35 mils (~1 ounce) stiff shot each booze, then hot coffee to fill your mug? With a chilled vodka chaser, as per usual?” He asks.
“Make it so, Mr. Ho,” I say. “No whipped cream or crème liqueurs, please. I’m lactose intolerant, and, well, no one wants to hear that…”
He laughs and whips together a very nice morning sunriser.
It’s a real day off.
In a very, very weird land.
It’s Festival outside and I stayed up most of the night calling people back in the world, creating and updating dossiers, doing explosives-tracking paperwork, worrying over logistics, and how and when the fuck we’re going to eventually get out of here.
Fuck it, double front. I’m doing my ‘people watch’, perched high on Mahogany Ridge. I’m taking, for the first time since, hell, I left the Middle East, some real downtime.
I figured I deserved it.
I was the only one at the bar, but after a short time, there were festival-goers who infiltrated down into the hotel's subterranean catacombs. They didn’t know of the bar’s recently expanded hours and when they saw me sitting high up on Mahogany Ridge, smoking my ubiquitous cigar, they rejoiced.
Obligatory Festival and alcohol! Better than beer and power tools.
In the Baja Canada time-honored tradition, I have a pile of the local currency sitting on the bar. At the new exchange rate of 1,386 won to the dollar, I’m making out like a bandit.
Drinks here are cheap, really cheap, to begin with. With this fluctuation in exchange rates, which I figured reflected the holiday, I was flush. In the chips. Well-heeled. I've got a lot of what it takes to get along.
So, I was feeling magnanimous. I was tipping people very well.
“Paper?” one local asked.
“Sure. How much for a week-old English version of the Daily Worker’s Manifest and Pork Belly Futures Digest? 100 won? Here’s 1,000. Keep the change.”
Not wanting to become over-caffeinated, I switched from Greenland Coffees after a couple to my usual potato juice and citrus concoction. Each one came in a tall, frosted gimlet glass, a very nice touch, and was expertly made my Mr. Ho after I showed him once when we first arrived.
Each one, with the current exchange rate, was about 500 won; an exorbitant sum for any local. It was about US$0.40 for me. I bought several for people who bellied up to the bar and tried to engage me in conversation.
I was used to handing out business cards, hell, one never knew where contacts could lead; and not receiving one in return.
Today, I collected four new business cards; two from various European ex-pats, and two from locals.
I guess Festival! time brings out the best and least paranoid in people.
It’s only 1000 hours in the AM and people here are already seriously lubricated.
This will be a fun few days.
I decided to get a rather tall drink in one of my 100-ounce Kum-n-Go travel cups. With all the hoo-ha going on around here, I haven’t seen a handler, translator, or guide since we got off the boat. I decide with all the shenanigans and goings-on around the place on this festival day, no one would give me nor my wardrobe a second look if I were to venture outdoors for a walkabout.
Besides, we’re on a bloody island. It’s not like I can go too damned far.
So, quicker than a bunny fucks, I get my drink, fire up a cigar, and walk around the lobby of the hotel. There are the usual comings and goings of tourists, local workers, the security forces, and all that allied tat.
I wait until a tour bus pulls up and all eyes are somewhere besides me.
Pfft! And I’m standing outside the hotel, looking at all the sights.
Which, truth be told, weren’t much.
Yanggak Island is a slovenly-manicured island with shrubberies, tracks, trails, and assorted support buildings. The river is basically hidden behind stunted shrubs and nevergreens, and the remains of the defunct golf course. There’s a stadium on the island, which was thronging with festival-goers today. I don’t know what sport, if any, they play there, and didn’t care enough to ask anyone.
There was a cinema hall, which was currently empty and looking in need of some dire repair. There’s some sort of Chinese health complex in the process of being built or torn down, it was hard to tell which. Needless to say, the scenery paled almost immediately.
I did, after a concerted effort, find a small platform that overlooked the Taedong River. It was a very nice little observation platform with a couple of new-Tudor-esque electrical replica gas lights and two concrete benches where a weary traveler could sit and just watch the river.
So I did.
I was interested in the fish of the river, and wondered if any of the locals did any fishing; or if it was forbidden, as are so many ‘proletariat’ activities are in town.
I did see a few locals, huddled out of plain sight, down by the shores of the river fishing with long, 10 meter, reel-less poles. In Britain, they would call this type of fishing ‘noodling’.
I didn’t see them catch anything, but in the bar later, I spoke with a local who told me that they catch various species of fish here. These include Asian Aroana, Blue Guppy, Catfish, Crab, Eel, Halibut, Hucho Perryi, Octopus, Orange Guppy, Pacific Flying Squid, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, and Tuna.
I’m not saying my informant was lying or embroidering the tale, but from the nasty condition of the river, I think Coney Island Whitefish, Cotton River Horse, Dumpster Trout, and Bugle-Mouthed Salmon would be the more common species.
I had enough perambulation and even though I wasn’t given the least look, I felt a bit uncomfortable out here. That unfiltered sun and equally unfiltered air. After that, I wandered back to the hotel and went to enter to go to my room.
“HALT! Who goes there?” some door guard yelled at me.
“An American tourista who was out on a walk”, I replied.
“Impossible!”, he replied, “Tourists are not allowed out without their guides.”
“Look, Herr Mac”, I said, “I’m Dr. Rocknocker, and I am an invited Western Petroleum Scientist with the UN special-invited group here to evaluate the country’s oil and gas potential.”
“You are not allowed.” He replied loudly.
“My good man”, I replied, equally loudly, "Not allowed? Not allowed? I’m a geologist, I’m allowed everywhere.”
With that, I grab the handle of the ornate door, take a slurp out of my drink, and sally forth into the hotel.
Of course, he goes non-linear. He follows me and is making all sorts of bad noise. He is almost literally dancing around me, pointing, and exclaiming that I’m not allowed.
Then, he made a bit of a mistake.
He grabbed my arm.
Really, really poor career move.
I switched my drink to my left hand and executed a pretty spiffy opposite-side wrist grab on the noisy little nerf herder.
He was so shocked by this turn of events, he went slightly white and was rendered mute for a short time.
I frog marched the little irritant up to the front desk and asked the head clerk there to explain to my captive audience who I was and why I was here.
The clerk smiled and gave the character whom I was dragging around a quick background on the guy who was currently holding him captive. When I heard “닥터 락 노커” [dagteo lag nokeo, “Dr. Rocknocker”], I dropped this guy’s hand and just took a few steps back.
After a minute or two, he comes over, very, very abashed. He apologizes as he wasn’t told that any Americans were allowed outside the hotel.
I told him ‘No problem’, as I really didn’t have any special permission and didn’t want to get the guy into any trouble. I offered him a cigar, which he refused, but he readily accepted the half-pack of Sobranie pastel cigarettes I had in the pocket of my Hawaiian shirt.
I decided from that point to just stay inside the hotel to smoke, drink, and avoid any further Imperial entanglements.
I wandered on down to the casino because I was bored and it was unusually quiet. Too hepped-up to sleep, too tired to work, it was that odd interarea between “should I be giving a fuck” and “who the fuck cares?”
Leaving the basement, I wandered around the ground floor, just taking in the sights, and looking at the “Festival Specials” at the hotel shops.
I found an empty, unlocked conference room that looked inviting. About two dozen chairs, a large wooden table, TV monitors, and a southern view of the city from slightly above ground level.
I walked in like I owned the place, as it is always monumentally easier to get forgiveness than permission, sat down at the head of the table, propped my feet up, found an ashtray, and began playing with the remote to see what was available.
Evidently, these rooms were available for rent by various factions, cadres, and other sorts of like-minded individuals. However, whoever was here last forgot to re-set the filters on the satellite television.
There was real the BBC, real-time. There was German TV, Russian TV, Japanese TV, and even some American TV; all the best of the absolutely prohibited hit parade.
I shut it down and left immediately. I went to find my comrades. They simply had to see this.
I located Dax first, as he was losing won at a rapid rate down at the basement casino. He said he’d spread the word to any of the team members down in the tunnels and we’d meet at Conference Room #1.
I had taken the precaution before leaving to move the “Occupied/Unoccupied” placard to indicate it was in use and that if you hadn’t reserved the room, you’d do best to stay the fuck out.
I waited the obligatory 20 minutes for the elevator and went up to ‘our’ floor.
I knocked on all the doors where I knew they were occupied by our occupants. I found a few of our team and informed them that if they were so inclined, there would be an unannounced, impromptu, and wholly illicit meeting down in Conference room number 1; complete with refreshments and real, uncensored television. They all agreed and said they’d rouse the rest of our team on the floor.
I was feeling so brazen, that when I went down to the ground floor, I stopped at the front desk and ordered lunch and drinks for my team in Conference Room #1.
“Oh, sir”, the desk clerk responded, “We don’t have any reservations today for Conference Room #1.”
“Well”, I replied, “We are in there and if it wasn’t reserved, how would that have happened? The room would have been marked as unavailable, which it clearly was not; as it was open and available and we are now occupying it. Therefore, it wasn’t marked unavailable so it must have been available; not unavailable as you postulate. It’s almost a simple example of the single equation theory of universal containment. So we are meeting there now and requiring refreshments. It’s simply a logical progression of the facts of the matter.”
“You are, of course, correct”, she immediately responded, distracted by all the Festival goings-on in the hotel, “Now, you said you’d like to order 4 dozen assorted meat and cheese sandwiches, two cases of beer, and a mixed case of bottled liquor?”
“Yes”, I replied, “You see, it’s only going to be a brief meeting. I’ll also need ice, carbonated and non-carbonated mixers, sliced citrus fruit, and an on-call bartender if you have one available.”
“Oh, yes sir,”, she replied, “That will be immediately arranged. Anything else?”
“Yes”, I replied, “I’ll need about a dozen ashtrays, of the larger variety. Also, I am going to leave explicit instructions with you to disseminate to hotel staff that we are not to be disturbed. This is a very high-level meeting of the scientists of the IUPG. We will be discussing, umm, ‘sensitive information’”.
I used the international ‘don’t-even-think-of-bothering-us’ buzzword to let her know were being very serious indeed.
“Oh, yes sir”, she stiffened.
“Marvelous”, I said and slipped her 1000 won for her troubles. All sighs of nervousness instantly disappeared.
“Excellent. Excellent service.”, I said, rubbing both hands together most Mr. Burnsly.
I go over to the conference room and see that our order has begun to already arrive. Have to hand it to them, you call for room service and you get room service. Especially if you’re well known around the hotel to be free with imported cigars, pastel cigarettes, and lavish tips.
One by one, my teammates filtered in. There was everyone from out earlier pleasure cruise, and most of the force that remained back in the hotel to prepare the paperwork for our ground assault.
Cigars, cigarettes, and pipes were lit. Sandwiches consumed and drinks were downed. After everyone had a chance to see their home-town, or at least home-county, version of the news, I decided that it would indeed be a good time to have a bit of a meeting. It was going nuts outside with the Festival, and as long as we were in here, we were being left alone.
After the obligatory facilities break, I returned from a 40-minute round trip to my room to get a couple of my field notebooks. I wanted a record of the proceedings, no matter how spur-of-the-moment.
When I returned, I thought the room looked a bit spare. I did a quick headcount and I noted we were missing someone. I glanced through my notes and saw that our Bulgarian geomechanic, Dr. Iskren Dragomirov Dinev, or ‘Iskren’ was not present.
“Hey, guys”, I asked aloud, “Anyone seen Iskren lately?”
There was a brief conclave and the answer was a solid negative.
I called the front desk and got his room number. I asked them to ring his room for me. His room phone rang and rang and rang, but no answer.
“Who last saw Iskren?” I asked the assembled crew.
The Finnish PT, Joon, recalls drinking with him at the casino the night before last. He seemed normally jovial as was normal for him.
“Anyone else? Or since?” I asked.
Again, the answer was negative.
“Something’s not right”, I thought, my rock sense was tingling. “Dax, Cliff, you’re with me.”
We all left, stopped by the front desk, and asked for medical assistance. We explained where we were going and the sudden absence of our Bulgarian friend. We expressed deep concern.
25 minutes later, Dax, Cliff, me, the hotel security chief, and hotel doctor were standing outside Iskren’s room. We had pounded on the door for a good 3 minutes. He certainly wasn’t in the shower.
No answer.
“Fuck this. Open it”, I said.
“Under whose authority?” the chief of hotel security asked.
“Mine. Dr. Rocknocker. I’m the team leader of the IUPG crew. Do it.” I said.
The door was laboriously opened, as both door bolt locks had to be breached. The room was dark, silent, and entirely unnerving. In the gloom, it appeared that there was a human form, unmoving, on the bed.
“I’m a rock Doctor. I think we need a medical doctor here.” I said to the hotel sawbones.
The hotel doctor went in without switching on the lights nor touching anything. He examined the mound on the bed. Apparently, it wasn’t a pile of dirty laundry.
“Was the occupant of this room a large Caucasian male, approximately 60-65 years of age?” He asked.
“Yes”, we all answered together.
“I’m afraid he’s dead.” The doctor replied.
Dax looked at Cliff who looked at me. In unison, all that was heard was a tripartite:
“Oh…fuck.”
To be continued...

What this is:

This is a weekly, curated listing of Kickstarter board game projects that are either:

• newly posted in the past 7 days, or
• ending in the next 7 days (starting Aug 19) and have at least a fighting chance of being funded.

All board game projects meeting those criteria will automatically be included, no need to ask. (The occasional non-board game project may also sneak in!)
Expect new lists each Sunday sometime between midnight and noon PST.

Ending Soon

Project Info	Players	Backers	Min / Avg Pledge	Ends	Comments
Onslaught A cooperative tower defense card game for 1 to 6 players! Work with friends and defend the oncoming monsters from Somberwood Citadel. // Has raised $2,661 of $2,000 so far. (~133%) ☑	1 - 6	87	$20 / $31	Aug 19	kicktraq bgg
Bow Down : A Take-That Battle Card Game A fantasy battle card game. // Has raised £3,572 of £3,500 so far. (~102%) ☑	2 - 8	24	$16 / £149	Aug 20	kicktraq
Aydolon: Age of Heroes A Cooperative Multiplayer Card Game for 2-5 players. // Has raised $3,059 of $1,000 so far. (~305%) ☑	2 - 5	95	$30 / $32	Aug 20	kicktraq
Robinson Crusoe, Escape From Despair Island - New Card Game A dynamic game that puts you into Crusoe’s shoes, shipwrecked and stranded on an island, you´ll need to survive and escape to win! // Has raised kr126,258 SEK of kr115,000 SEK so far. (~109%) ☑	1 - 4	376	$20 / kr336 SEK	Aug 21	kicktraq
Mehen, Ancient Egyptian Game of the Snake A 5,000 year old board game, brought back to life as a handcrafted collector's item // Has raised $11,116 of $3,000 so far. (~370%) ☑	2 - 6	68	$149 / $163	Aug 21	kicktraq bgg
Drunko Card A party game that involves cards, mini games, dice and drinks. This is the next party game you want your hands on! // Has raised HK$20,511 of HK$3,000 so far. (~683%) ☑	4 - ?	137	$15 / HK$150	Aug 21	kicktraq #take2
IMPORT/EXPORT DEFINITIVE EDITION Shipping for the second time as a KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE with new metal shipping containers, updated artwork, and a final expansion! // Has raised $129,374 of $33,000 so far. (~392%) ☑	2 - 6	1764	$59 / $73	Aug 22	kicktraq bgg #newedition
Chicken Heist Chicken Heist is a push-your-luck card game for 3-8 players. A dynamic game where danger awaits you in every turn! // Has raised $12,353 CAD of $11,300 CAD so far. (~109%) ☑	3 - 8	362	$19 / $34 CAD	Aug 22	kicktraq bgg
On The Rocks On The Rocks: A marble drafting cocktail recipe fulfillment game. // Has raised $24,526 of $30,000 so far. (~81%)	2 - 4	468	$55 / $52	Aug 22	kicktraq bgg
Gridopolis - a 3D Strategy Game and System Gridopolis is a multiplayer 3D strategy game and system. It's an innovation in gaming designed for geeks, families & educators alike. // Has raised $15,831 of $15,000 so far. (~105%) ☑	2 - 4	227	$35 / $70	Aug 22	kicktraq bgg
Adventure Tactics: Domianne's Tower Adventure Tactics: Domianne's Tower is a co-op tactical combat game with deck-building inspired by our favorite SRPGs. (20+ classes!) // Has raised $96,269 of $36,700 so far. (~262%) ☑	1 - 5	1048	$75 / $92	Aug 23	kicktraq bgg
Frontier A fantasy town building card drafting game for 2-5 players! // Has raised £3,072 of £3,000 so far. (~102%) ☑	2 - 5	96	$32 / £32	Aug 23	kicktraq bgg
Cosmic Run: Express A quick and fun, 25-card, standalone card game in Dr Finn's Cosmic Run universe, plus access to exclusive promo packs. // Has raised $7,254 of $3,000 so far. (~241%) ☑	1 - 2	375	$8 / $19	Aug 23	kicktraq bgg
Rune Stones New game by Designer Rüdiger Dorn about the might of the Druids! // Has raised $132,323 of $10,000 so far. (~1323%) ☑	2 - 4	1681	$45 / $79	Aug 23	kicktraq bgg

New This Week

Project Info	Players	Backers	Min / Avg Pledge	Ends	Comments
1,000 YEAR BEARD A fuzzy-fun card game for 1-2 players. Be the first Dwarf to grow the longest, most majestic beard of a thousand years ...and win! // Has raised $876 of $1,000 so far. (~87%)	1 - 2	40	$16 / $22	Sep 03	bgg #take3
Bipolar Explorer A simulation of a month living with BiPolar Disorder // Has raised $310 of $30 so far. (~1033%) ☑	1 - 1	41	$5 / $8	Sep 12
Burgle Bros. 2: The Casino Capers The crew is back for even crazier co-op heists! New challenges trying to take down a string of casinos in broad daylight! // Has raised $205,445 of $25,000 so far. (~821%) ☑	1 - 4	3903	$49 / $53	Sep 05
Cats vs Mice card game -- a PnP alternative A kids' (2-player) card game that even adults will find challenging. Takes less than 5 minutes to play. // Has raised $123 of $40 so far. (~307%) ☑	2 - 2	13	$1 / $9	Aug 27	#take2
Chronicles of the Wayfarer: HEROES Skirmish Miniature Game // Has raised $1,560 of $10,000 so far. (~15%)	2 - ?	24	$20 / $65	Sep 15
CoryphaeusCCG with All Cards FREE Breaks Kickstarter Enjoy all playable cards for free forever, active tournaments, playful emotes, collecting alternate art versions & no RNG! // Has raised €281 of €2,500 so far. (~11%)	2 - ?	7	$28 / €40	Sep 14
Cosmic Run: Express A quick and fun, 25-card, standalone card game in Dr Finn's Cosmic Run universe, plus access to exclusive promo packs. // Has raised $7,254 of $3,000 so far. (~241%) ☑	1 - 2	375	$8 / $19	Aug 23	bgg
Crossroll Hong Kong Hong Kong is at crossroad now!! So roll and write our own route. Your choice makes the difference. // Has raised HK$7,590 of HK$30,000 so far. (~25%)	1 - 12	49	$18 / HK$155	Sep 26
CryptoWhales - A Blockchain Board Game CryptoWhales brings blockchain education to the table in a fun and interactive way- a blockchain board game! // Has raised $1,032 CAD of $145,000 CAD so far. (~0%)	? - ?	6	$45 / $172 CAD	Sep 22	#lolwut
Cube of Death The geek trivia card game with an RPG rule set. Answer trivia, navigate a dungeon, and see who's geek-fu is strongest. // Has raised $1,933 of $10,000 so far. (~19%)	2 - 8	51	$25 / $38	Sep 12	bgg
Damn Dragons Burn all your friends - not literally - but with the power of dragons! (Break Kickstarter) // Has raised $237 of $12,000 so far. (~1%)	2 - 6	11	$20 / $22	Sep 29
Dawn & Demons This is the first expansion for the evil boardgame "Rise of the Necromancers" - Launch Date: August 13th. // Has raised kr339,491 DKK of kr400,000 DKK so far. (~84%)	1 - 5	701	$34 / kr484 DKK	Sep 14	bgg #expansion #reprint
DECEPTION: An Enthralling Game of BS Breaks Kickstarter DECEPTION: An Enthralling Game of BS is a quick thinking party card game that promotes laughter, discomfort, sabotage, and also lying. // Has raised $496 of $37,500 so far. (~1%)	2 - 8	8	$50 / $62	Sep 14
Division: Throne Room A compact, strategic, card and dice game for 1 or 2 players. Have you got what it takes to seize the throne? // Has raised £3,321 of £2,250 so far. (~147%) ☑	1 - 2	155	$13 / £21	Sep 05	bgg
DUNGEON DEGENERATES: HAND OF DOOM THIRD PRINTING The third printing of DUNGEON DEGENERATES: Hand of Doom, the Dark Fantasy, Weirdo Art, RPG in a box board game from GOBLINKO. // Has raised $46,411 of $40,000 so far. (~116%) ☑	1 - 4	579	$70 / $80	Aug 28	bgg #reprint
EXPLODING vs. EXPLETIVE KITTENS CATFIGHT! Before they blew up they explored (and swore too fucking much) // Has raised $1 of $20,000 so far. (~0%)	2 - ?	1	$15 / NA	Sep 14
Full House™ Deluxe - A Great Board Game Join us for Full House™ grand opening. Welcomes crazy and wacky guests in your own hotel. A Great Board Game - Fun forever! // Has raised $5,916 CAD of $80,000 CAD so far. (~7%)	2 - 4	59	$45 / $100 CAD	Sep 14	bgg #hmm
Generation Trivia Spend time with the whole family by playing Generation Trivia™ and get ready to battle each other with special Battle Cards! // Has raised $1 CAD of $12,000 CAD so far. (~0%)	2 - ?	1	$19 / NA	Sep 12
Headhunter: Hilarious Hires from History (2nd Edition) Headhunter: Hilarious Hires from History is a comical, historical, business-themed party game. // Has raised $965 of $1,500 so far. (~64%)	4 - 10	20	$25 / $48	Sep 11	bgg #take2
Mark McLaughlin's War & Peace An historical game recreating the vast European conflict known as The Napoleonic Wars. // Has raised $22,048 of $10,000 so far. (~220%) ☑	2 - 2	196	$89 / $112	Sep 15	bgg #newedition
MatchBreaker Mullets, Matches, Mayhem. The Retro Dating Card Game. // Has raised $10,469 AUD of $20,000 AUD so far. (~52%)	2 - 4	230	$25 / $46 AUD	Sep 12	bgg
Mermaids, Emojis & a new kind of Poker! 3 NEW Card Games! Poo Party Poker, The Super Emoji Deck, & Mermaid Match! Games for ages 5+ so everyone can enjoy these new classics! // Has raised $259 of $1,000 so far. (~25%)	? - ?	6	$15 / $43	Sep 12
Mightymania Decks Mightymania Decks is an card game out Mightymania Universe. // Has raised €67 of €500 so far. (~13%)	2 - ?	5	$16 / €13	Oct 10
Muffin Time: The Random Card Game Collect cards, trigger traps, and murder muffins in the asdfmovie-themed card game // Has raised £271,714 of £10,000 so far. (~2717%) ☑	2 - 10	6967	$18 / £39	Sep 13
Pixel Demon's: REALM A diabolical strategy card game set in a brand-new fantasy-horror universe. // Has raised $10,383 of $5,500 so far. (~188%) ☑	2 - 4	138	$29 / $75	Sep 13	bgg
Scarlet Night Welcome to Scarlet Night. Fully interactive horror boardgame with dedicated soundtrack and lighting. // Has raised €17,521 of €10,000 so far. (~175%) ☑	1 - 5	254	$72 / €69	Sep 19
Sheep Sleep Seep A fast paced, tongue twisting, card based party (drinking) game for any size crowd. // Has raised $1,089 of $700 so far. (~155%) ☑	3 - ?	43	$13 / $25	Sep 13
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels is a 1 to 4 player competitive side scrolling dungeon crawl based off of the Shovel Knight video game! // Has raised $62,718 of $70,000 so far. (~89%)	1 - 4	977	$40 / $64	Sep 07	bgg #take2
Standing Out A party trivia game for large groups of people // Has raised $801 of $2,000 so far. (~40%)	3 - ?	18	$15 / $45	Sep 15
Straight Face Straight Face: The dark card game that is designed to make you laugh, whilst trying not to laugh! // Has raised £24 of £1,500 so far. (~1%)	2 - ?	2	$22 / £12	Sep 13	#lolwut
Struggle of Empires Deluxe edition A grand empire building game with straightforward rules for 2 to 7 players // Has raised $64,794 of $40,000 so far. (~161%) ☑	2 - 7	902	$89 / $72	Aug 30	bgg #newedition
T.B.D. A $20 tabletop game about... whatever we all say it is. // Has raised $2,789 of $9,999 so far. (~27%)	? - ?	114	$20 / $24	Sep 14	#hmm
The Canary's Dilemma A multiplayer strategy game where players attempt to free their canaries by competing in several rounds of head-to-head matches. // Has raised $32 of $2,500 so far. (~1%)	2 - 6	3	$25 / $11	Sep 14
The Nightmare Set CCG The Nightmare Set CCG. A survival horror card game with a unique combat system and multiple ways to set up and play. // Has raised $2 of $2,000 so far. (~0%)	2 - 2	2	$10 / $1	Sep 12
Zombie Run A zombie survival board game with a continually changing board. // Has raised $113 of $5,000 so far. (~2%)	? - ?	6	$40 / $19	Sep 22

Need moar Kickstarter goodness?

Check out...

• My Calendar of Announced Kickstarters (Also available in iCal flavor)
• My interactive AirTable view of all active board game kickstarter campaigns.
• BoardGameGeek's variety of Kickstarter-oriented Geeklists
• Kicktraq's data-driven views

Footnotes

• #hmm means that something about the project seems a little off. Buyer beware kinda thing.
• #lolwut is reserved for projects that seem like copycat games or campaigns put together with little thought. Check 'em out for amusement.
• #take tags are for projects that have been restarted for some reason, with the number indicating what iteration we're currently on.
• Did I miss something? Particularly something new in the last 7 days or ending in the next 7 days? Let me know in the comments and I'll add it in.

Help Keep This Running

These lists take time and money to put together. Not a lot, but a little. If you enjoy them, maybe toss me a buck now and then. 50% of after-expenses costs will be forwarded along to the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund.
Signing up for a free AirTable account via my referral link can help, too. Plus, it's swell!
If you want a shoutout for your donation, put your reddit username in the notes.

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Detroit Red Wings season. This is the third version of this guide to help out visitors looking for some information from locals about Little Caesers Arena (LCA) and surrounding area in Detroit. I hope you find it helpful. Suggestions welcome!

• Safety around the LCA as well as nearby Detroit city streets is very good. Detroit has a reputation of having high crime however in the 25+ years I've been going to games in downtown Detroit I've never felt threatened for my safety. Inside and outside the LCA main entrances are police as well as Olympia Security before, during, and after the game. The streets around the LCA and out to the restaurants and hotels are walkable. But like in any modern city don't go down the sketchy dark streets. Stay on the well-lit streets. Park in a structure or lot and not on a dark side street. Lock your car doors. Don't leave visible items inside the car. In other words don't be a victim.
  
• A guided tour of the LCA is available by scheduling in advance on specific dates. Check the LCA tours webpage for more information on prices and scheduling.
  
• Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, or at the LCA box office, or through a reseller like Stubhub or even Ticketmaster's Ticket Exchange. Join the mailing list and check out the Red Wings social media for short notice deals like student and military rush ticket pricing and Fan Packs. Be advised the special offers are typically for low demand games like weekdays. Friday and Saturday games especially near holidays or against Canadian teams are high demand and typically not going to have special offers. These games will most likely not have cheap seats even on the reseller market. Starting last season the LCA has changed to mobile tickets only so no more paper tickets. Check out the mobile ticketing guides for more information. There are mobile ticket assistance street teams at the main entrances if you have an issue onsite.
  
• There is a promotional schedule of in-arena giveaways for specific home games. These giveaways are given to entrants at the door after ticket scan until supplies run out. You can get these even at the restaurants if you entered through their doors. If there is a giveaway item that you really want I recommend being at the doors as close to opening as possible. The longer after doors open the less likely you are to get them item.
  
• Joe Louis Arena is activaly being torn down right now. It should be completed by the end of 2019, maybe sooner. If you want a last glimpse, head over to 19 Steve Yzerman Dr, Detroit, MI 48226.
  
• There are a variety of hotels in Detroit ranging in prices from high at the Westin Book Cadillac to lower at the Holiday Inn Express next door to the Westin. Nearby casinos such as the Ilitch-owned Motor City Casino or MGM offer free shuttle to the LCA or short 8 block walk. Check out TripAdvisor Detroit hotels for additional lodging options. My hotel experience is very limited in Detroit because I have no reason to stay in them so post your hotel tips in the comments below.
  
• The LCA has a variety food options (pizza, shawarma, burritos, salads, sammiches, pulled pork, grilled cheese, etc.) inside but they are all at a premium price. The free game day program at the LCA contains a map. In my experience the best bang for your buck is the chicken pita from The Coop. If you want a complete Ilitch experience then get a slice or whole pie of Little Caesars pizza. Detroit is a foodie town and there are many options to choose from outside the arena. If it is your first time to Detroit or haven't been there yet I recommend getting an iconic coney island hot dog from American or Lafayette PROTIP: Lafayette. Check out the /detroit sidebar for more Detroit restaurant suggestions. There are simply too many to list here so suggest your favorites in the comments below.
  
• Harry’s Bar and Temple Bar are neighborhood bars that are within a 2 block walking distance to the LCA if you want to drink and hangout with fans before or after. The /detroit sidebar has more bar suggestions in and around the city. PROTIP: take the QLINE streetcar (US$1.50/3 hours) to the Canfield stop and quaff a few brews over crack fries at HopCat then take the QLINE south 2 stops (10 blocks) to the LCA stop at Sproat St. Got favorite bar in the area? Post in the comments below.
  
• If you're rich and want convenience, park at the LCA VIP parking structure. It may be pricier (US$45 as of 2019-09-17) but it is a comfortable sheltered stroll to the LCA. If you are up for a short walk and would like to save a buck park at the MGM Casino or Motor City Casino for free. From there you can walk 8 blocks or take their free shuttle. The further away you park from the LCA the cheaper it is. Fox Theater is $35, the two Comerica Park structures off the I-75 service drive are both $30. There are also several surface lots nearby, some let you pay in advance. Check out the parking map Want to reserve a spot? Try Parkwhiz.com or their app. Some bars also have shuttles for free or a couple bucks. PROTIP: Nemo's has the best shuttle drivers. Early birds park for free on Temple, Woodward, and in Brush Park across Woodward from the LCA but be careful where you park because the police will write tickets if you park illegally. Ask me how I know. The parking situation is always evolving so post your tips in the comments below.
  
• Coming from Canada? There is a Windsor tunnel bus US/CAN$5.00 one way from the bus terminal downtown Windsor (Chatham and Church) to Cass Ave. and the I-75 service drive next to the LCA. Getting through immigration takes a few minutes. Have your passport and don't be drunk. Check the link above for service times and details.
  
• The LCA doors open 1.5 hours before puck drop. There are four sets of doors one at each corner. The Chevy Plaza at the southwest corner has a large screen that shows pre-game hype videos and on occasion the live game. Also on occasion, there are beebeverage stands in the plaza as well as picnic games (e.g. corn hole). You may have to pass through security to enter the Chevy Plaza but no ticket scan until you enter the arena doors. LCA restaurants will let you in even earlier with a ticket but access to the concourse is blocked off until all doors open. PROTIP: in cold weather prior to main doors opening either hang out at the Box Office (northeast corner) or the District Market entrance just south of the Box Office.
  
• You can sort of watch the players arrive by car (and visitors by bus) into the parking structure off Clifford north of the I-75 service drive. Get there at least 2 hours before puck drop.
  
• The best photos of the LCA exterior are from the east side of Woodward just north of the westbound I-75 service drive looking at the building from the southeast corner. Photo
  
• Will Call tickets at the box office located at the northeast corner of the arena off Woodward Ave.
  
• There is a strict bag size policy enforced at the door. I’ve seen some upset people turned away at the doors. Know before you go.
  
• You will have to go through a metal detector and may be subject to extra screening to enter the LCA.
  
• Free WIFI is available inside as well as outside of the arena.
  
• There are free game day programs inside the LCA at the entrances. Grab one because it has an arena map with section numbers and vendor locations including where to get Detroit and Michigan beers. Sometimes there are interesting articles too.
  
• The Team Store souvenir shop is in the southwest corner of the LCA. The authentic signed gear and memorabilia located in the east end of the store. There are also vendors scattered around the via and upper concourse selling souvenirs. PROTIP: the LCA prices are high for swag. Buy your gear ahead of time online or at Vintage Detroit in Detroit or FanaticU and Hockeytown Authentics out in the suburbs.
  
• Friendly ushers are everywhere to help out and answer your questions. Most will take your photo for you if you ask politely.
  
• During warmups, fans congregate around the glass. Players come out at 30 minutes before game time for warmups. PROTIP: I recommend watching the Red Wings shoot at the net during warmups from behind the net on the glass in section 102/103. Hearing the puck smack the glass inches from your face is neat. Same for aisle for 115/116 on the visiting team side behind the net. The ushers will let you down to the ice level for warmups even if you don’t have tickets in that section.
  
• The sea of banners is gone but the retired jerseys and Stanley Cup Championship banners remain. They are not the originals which are now hanging in the practice rink below the main rink. You may not see them until after hype video because they are retractable. The banners share the ceiling with the Pistons banners on the other side. PROTIP: The best photo op for the Red Wing banners is in front of the Fox Sports Detroit broadcast desk at the top of section 219.
  
• There is a nice mix of old and new artwork in the LCA. Take some time before the game to walk around the lower and upper level concourses to see the manholes, the Howe, Lindsay, Delvecchio statues from the Joe, the original Olympia sign, murals of Red Wing greats. Look for the Red Wing logo at the northeast corner lower concourse made of auto parts. There are multiple selfie and photo spots too like the Red Wings bench and Little Caesars spear. The LCA is shared with the Detroit Pistons basketball team so you will see artwork and displays featuring their greats as well.
  
• Every seat at the LCA has a view of the ice. Some seats in the upper level (rows 6 and above between the red lines) have obstructed views of the center ice score board but there displays mounted behind the gondolas. The layout of the seats are steep especially in the upper bowl where there is less leg room than lower bowl. Sections, rows, and seats are on your ticket but navigation is based on portals. Check your ticket for your portal, go to that, then find your section/row/seat. Sit in your own seat. If you see seats that are still empty well into the first period then move to them. If someone asks you to move out of their seat just do it. Explore the arena to check out different seat views. PROTIP: go up to portals 78-82 to check out the vertigo inducing view down from the gondola.
  
• Get to your seat 10 minutes before puck drop to see the pre-game hype video on the huge scoreboard and on-ice projection.
  
• The LCA has a custom organ with in-house organists that play before the hype video, end of intermissions, and between plays. Lance Luce is recognizable in his red sequined jacket. To see the organ go to the upper concourse behind section 301.
  
• Most Red Wings fans are friendly people and quite knowledgeable about their team and the sport. Strike up a conversation and you'll probably learn something new.
  
• Cheer for your visiting team but don't be a dick about it.
  
• DO NOT STAND UP OUT OF YOUR SEAT WHILE THE PUCK IS IN PLAY.
  
• The LCA has a strict no smoking policy. There is no smoking inside or anywhere outside of the arena at any door. If you leave the LCA to smoke you will not be readmitted.
  
• No, that's not the goal horn from the Joe. It is a recording of the Joe horn and to many people it sounds dull, flat, and disappointing. The horn sound is louder in the lower bowl but then again the speakers are louder in the lower bowl and have a lot more bass than the upper bowl. I have complained to no avail.
  
• Don't leave early! If the Red Wings win the DJ will play Don't Stop Believing in the final seconds or right after the game ends for you and thousands of your friends to sing along. The arena DJ plays music from multiple genres from Motown to country to pop and is known to take suggestions. He can be reached on Twitter @thehockeyjockey.
  
• There is no public accessible spot for athlete autographs. The best opportunity for autographs is an event created for that purpose such as the Season Ticket Holder Open House, Fan Day Open House, or charity events like Toast of Hockeytown, Charity Poker Tournaments, as well as autograph signing events posted on facebook.
  
• Post-game ride share pickups are along the I-75 service drive southeast of the LCA. Shuttles will pick you up where they dropped you off.
  
• Have fun and enjoy the game!
  

Previous: Inside Underground NY Poker #2
​
Spades — 1.2
Every poker player knows that feeling —when you get the itch to play. I had just made $200 for dealing the bar poker league tournament. My girlfriend, Jennifer, was surely sleeping, and here I had Gary telling me to come down to play with $100 bonus. Surely, this had to be +EV. I was about to scratch that itch.
Being cognizant of the rake now, I text Gary back, asking him what the rake is and he replies, telling me it’s 10% up to $10. This sounded pretty reasonable to me, but I wanted some confirmation. Back in 2007, texting had not yet become the preferred medium of communication and although it was popular, a phone call was more often used. I decided to give Andy a call. No answer. I immediately received a text back, telling me that he’ll call me back in a minute.
I was driving on the Long Island Expressway and was a bit tired. I often stayed up late anyway, and was not much of a morning person. It was already late at night, so I decided to take an exit that had a gas station nearby. I pulled into a Valero, went inside, and purchased a sugar-free Monster energy drink. As I was walking back to my car, my phone rang — it was Andy.
“What’s up, buddy? I’m in the middle of a session, try and make it quick.”
“Hey man, I’m about to go play cards at this new spot. The rake is 10% up to $10, stakes are $1/$2 NL. Is this good?”
“That’s incredibly good. The lowest I’ve ever heard of, in fact. Where is this place?”
“It’s in Long Island, it’s a club called Spades.”
“I’ve heard about Spades. I didn’t know the rake was that low, though. Do you have to pay time, too?”
“I dunno. I just got an invite from another dealer I met while dealing a bar league tournament. He also offered me a $100 bonus for being a new player. That’s all I know.”
“New player bonus too, huh? Sounds very enticing. I might have to come by with you and play one of these days. Good luck, buddy. Let me know how it goes.”
I asked Andy how his session was going and we talked for a few more minutes.
“I’ve gotta go, I have to get back to the table. Word of advice — the first time I ever play in a new game, I’m never there to really play. I suggest that if you go, buy in for the average stack size and don’t rebuy if you get felted.”
“Why?” — Being the inquisitive type, I always asked questions.
“You need to make sure the game is clean. Watch the rake and keep track of the pot size. Play super tight. Cash out and leave if you don’t feel safe or if any of the players seem too problematic.”
“Thanks, man. Good luck in your sesh, I’ll see you soon.”
“You too buddy, gimme a call afterwards and let me know how it goes.”
With Andy’s input, I made the decision to text Gary back and give the place a shot. He texted me the address with some directions, and some instructions on how to get inside.
I was horrific with directions, though. I had purchased a Garmin GPS unit from Best Buy when I had bought my car, knowing that I would need it to get to Fox’s. I wasn’t familiar at all with Queens or Suffolk County. It was about the size of a small cantaloupe and stuck to the windshield using a suction cup. It was slow calculating directions, but it was accurate and always got me where I needed to go. I punched in the address that Gary had given me on the insensitive touch screen, and waited for it to start navigating.
20 minutes or so later, I had arrived. The GPS had brought me to large Chinese restaurant that had certainly closed for the night. It was located on a main road and was in a multi-story building with other retail stores in the same unit. I sent Gary a text, letting him know that I was there and he told me to pull into the back of the building to park.
I put my car into park and exited the vehicle. The instructions in the text Gary had provided me with directed me to ring the bell on the door that had a security camera with a red light on. I started walking up to the building and saw only one door with an active security camera. The lights were off, but the back parking lot had at least 15 cars sitting there, so I knew the game had to be going. I rang the bell and waited. Two minutes later, I see a guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties, approaching from the inside and the glass door opens.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah, Gary sent me. We met at the bar poker league earlier tonight.”
“Come on in, follow me.”
I entered the building and walked up a flight of stairs to be met with, sure enough, a steel door with a security camera mounted to the top right corner. The guy gave it a knock and 15 seconds later it was opened.
As I walked inside, I took notice of the place. There was one main room, which was quite large, that housed two tables, the podium, and a tall Craftsman locking toolbox. On either side of the main room, there was a short hallway that led to another room which also had two tables inside. Both of the other rooms had a plexiglass sheet on the wall, which made it possible to see what was going on inside.
A rather tall, very muscular guy, waves me over to the podium.
“What’s up, mo? Who sent you, James?”
Not realizing it at the time, this was a simple test. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t lying about who had invited me.
“No, Gary sent me. I met him at the bar poker league tonight. He told me to come down to play and that there was a $100 new player bonus?”
“Gotcha. Sure. You get the $100 after two hours of play at the table. The game’s full right now, but you’re first up. Have a seat over there and make yourself comfortable. Drinks and snacks are in the back, the bathroom and smoking room are down the right hall. Let me get your name and number so I can put you on the text list.”
I give him my number and we exchanged names. Vinny was a tall and muscular gentleman who looked to be in his 40’s. He appeared to be very physically fit with slicked back, jet black hair. He clearly filled the role of both floorman and security. His personality was very direct and he looked you dead in the eyes when he spoke to you.
With my stomach growling and heart pumping from the Monster I had drank a little while earlier, I walk into the back to take a leak and grab a snack. I hadn’t eaten anything all night, the bar league didn’t provide any food. Only two options were available, individual bags of Wise chips or Famous Amos cookies. I opt for the cookies and head back into the main room, hovering over the full table to watch the action as I munch on my bag of processed carbs.
A couple of hands go by, and I could tell that my hovering over the table was making a few of the players uncomfortable. I was new, nobody knew me, and I didn’t want to be impolite so I took a seat at the empty table and waited for an open seat.
About a half hour passes and Vinny calls me for the open seat. He asks me how much I want and I tell him $200. He unlocks a tall, Craftsman toolbox and opens one of the drawers to reveal racks of chips inside. He hands me a rack with $200 in chips, and I sit down at the table to be greeted by the dealer.
“Welcome to the game. Would you like to post or wait for the big blind?”
“Thanks. I’ll wait for the big blind.”
Half a rotation later and I’m in the game. I took Andy’s advice and played super tight. 45 minutes go by and I open my first hand — pocket tens. I get no action, which I was not expecting. I drag in the blinds and toss the dealer a buck, not wanting to appear cheap so that I’m welcomed back.
There’s some chatter going on at the table in between hands, but no conversations that interest me. I’m starting to get bored. Music was playing in the background, and a song comes on that catches my ear.
“Anyone know what song this is?”
The player seated to my right answers me, an older Italian man who was very short in stature with a high-pitched voice and thick Brooklyn accent.
“Trooper With an Attitude, by 38 Special.”
“Thanks. You know you kind of remind me of Joe Pesci? Anyone ever tell you that?”
The room went dead silent, all that could be heard was the song playing in the background. The action came to a halt.
For what seemed like an eternity, everybody at the table was staring at me. I could tell by the Italian guy’s reaction that I had made a fatal mistake. Foot — meet mouth.
The Italian guy puts his hand on my shoulder, and with a firm grip, turns his chair, almost using my shoulder as a pivot point. He gives me a death stare, and finally the silence is broken.
“Watch your mouth, kid.”
I realized that he had taken extreme offense to my comment. I didn’t understand why, I had meant it as a compliment. I had recently seen the movie “Casino” for the first time and loved Joe Pesci’s performance. Regardless, the table was perceiving me as being in the wrong.
“I apologize. Won’t happen again.”
The action resumes and the Italian guy takes his hand off of my shoulder. I later learned that this guy was extremely connected and to never make him feel as if he was being disrespected. Evidently, his short stature and high-pitched voice made him feel insecure — it was not something to ever be pointed out.
A few more orbits go by, and I look at my stack. I’m down about $60. I hadn’t played any meaningful hands and I was card-dead. I had seen multiple players show down hands like Ace high or bottom pair for the winner, and came to the realization that I was highly outmatched. Most of the players at the table were really solid. They were constantly putting each other to the test, and applying pressure in spots they knew would make for a tough decision. I wasn’t going to make any money in this game unless I got lucky.
I see Vinny start to walk over to the table, holding a rack with a couple of chips in it. He stops at my seat and puts 4 green chips onto my stack.
“Here’s your bonus, good luck.”
I look down at my stack again to give it a count. With the addition of the bonus, I’m up $50. I felt a little trapped, because I didn’t want to look bad trying to cash out as soon as I got the bonus. I toss the dealer two greenbirds and get up to grab a rack.
I definitely wanted to come back. The level of play was much higher than I had ever seen, and I noticed that they were much more strict on the rules here. This interested me, because poker is one of the few games without a universal set of rules. I wanted to learn more about the rules of poker, feeling as if I should be well educated in the subject, considering I wanted to improve my skills as a dealer.
I head over to Vinny at the podium to cash out. He quickly counts up my chips, totaling $200, and hands me two, crisp $100 bills. It was no more than a few hours until the Sunday’s sun would rise.
“Thanks for coming. We’re having a $75 tournament later on at 3PM if you feel like playing. We usually get about 50-60 players.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be here.”
I pocket the cash and make my way over to the steel door. I leave the room, walk down the stairs, and head for the exit.
I get into my car and start driving home. I hop onto the expressway and take out my phone to give Andy a call.
“WOOP WOOP”, I hear the sound of the siren as I look into my rear-view mirror and see a cop flashing his lights, singling me to pull over.
Great, just what I need — I had never been pulled over before.
​
To be continued…
​
Next: Inside Underground NY Poker #4

I keep getting asked by friends how I liked it, what was surprising, etc so I figured I’d help out some of the new people here who have one planned or are considering it with a few tips that aren’t the obvious YouTube flair. This pertains to Bahamas via Carnival.

Don’t he first in line to get off the ship in a new port if you didn’t plan an excursion.

Why? Well at least for Carnival they didn’t have their A team out there and set up. We were one of the first people out of the ship and basically no one behind us in the Bahamas and we were INUNDATED with locals selling cabs, horses, Bikes, boats, cigars, etc. Pushy, aggressive and to the point where they would grab at you and try to fit you with bracelets to get donations out of you for “disabled school kids”. DONT WEAR A TOURIST BRACELET IN THESE AREAS. You’re marking yourself same as staring at a map out in the street. It ruined the experience until I went back and saw larger groups with more put together guides and help that knew where they were going. The public beach is about a 10-13 minute walk from the ship but you have to walk around some construction to get there. Too many lefts instead of rights and you are not in good company. You’ll see signs protesting cruise lines, guys yelling how Senior Frogs is not local and shady people hanging from cars yelling stuff at you for example. Yes, seriously we had that happen twice. Probably because we were early and isolated.

Atlantis is not full of magic and sunshine if you don’t have an excursion there.

We took the boat over to wander around and the stores were kinda nice. Same thing tho, go early and it’s a ghost town! The hotel staff really don’t want you just wandering through to their beaches either so either find the public beach and walk/taxi there or don’t go to the other island. That said in general: you need a taxi or guide if it’s your first time.

There are no “free lunches” on a cruise.

Any time a pamphlet says “free drinks!” It means you’re going to get a single, weak drink for about a half hour to hour of your time hearing a pitch. Drink “specials” were not special most times besides the first day, 12-2, the casino had half priced drinks. Those were the only half priced drinks the whole trip. Even tho the alcohol package isn’t worth the money if you don’t drink much, consider that you can get better alcohols for the drinks you do get, all the specialty coffees and shakes you want and you can taste multiple drinks with no intention of finishing them to expand your palette. Use this same strategy and avoid the buffet. You can try multiple appetizers, dinners and desserts for free at the sit down dinners offered every night. Bring one nice pair of pants and a shirt because even tho they said there wasn’t an elegant night when I asked before the cruise... there was and I was forced to the buffet that day.

Don’t buy cookies/cake for your room to meet you on day one. Same with a robe, etc.

The same cookies and cakes the sell in the fun shops are what you’ll find for free in the buffet. Load a plate up and put it in your fridge in the room. Robes are free upon request but $50 if you take one home. Same price as in the shop.

Coffee is not always free.

If you get a coffee at the coffee bar you’re going to pay for it. The free coffee is in bars if they have it, room service, buffet and dining area. You’re free coffee can cost $5 if you add chocolate to it too so ask for a coffee and a hot chocolate then ask for an extra cup. They use the hot chocolate powder to make a Cafe Mocha... $5 each and it’s not included in “bottomless bubbles”
Btw bottomless bubbles suck unless you’re super into soda. I found myself never using it and just drinking tea and lemonade with meals which is free. It’s a very limited selection and they were continuously out or half the stuff they offered on the website. It doesn’t help that in the buffet there is no where to get soda unless you go to a bar stall.

The casino takes a massive raking fee.

For a private Holdem poker table, the digital kind, the raking fee was up to 10% per pot at a table of 3 or more. The only way playing casually in the casino was worth it is at full tables where you can actually make bigger pots. Also note that the casino is off in ports because they don’t want to follow the rules/win ratios of gambling commissions. Keep that in mind at the slots.
That’s all I can think of right now but I’ll answer questions best I can from my “first timer” point of view if you want something the usual videos don’t cover.
All that said: it was super fun and I enjoyed myself. Next time, knowing the small details, will be an even better time.
https://i.imgur.com/0MfUXUX.jpg

It’s the second season of hockey at Little Caesers Arena (LCA). Many fans are still making the trek to the new arena for their first time to watch the Detroit Red Wings play. This is my second version of this guide help out visitors looking for some information from locals. I hope you find it helpful. Suggestions welcome!

• Safety around the LCA as well as nearby Detroit city streets is very good. Detroit has a reputation of having high crime however in the 25 years I've been going to games in downtown Detroit I've never felt threatened for my safety. Inside and outside the LCA main entrances are police as well as Olympia Security before, during, and after the game. The streets around the LCA and out to the restaurants and hotels are walkable. But like in any modern city don't go down the sketchy dark streets. Stay on the well-lit streets. Park in a structure or lot and not on a dark side street. Lock your car doors. Don't leave visible items inside the car. In other words don't be a victim.
  
• A guided tour of the LCA is available by scheduling in advance on specific dates. Check the LCA tours webpage for more information on prices and scheduling.
  
• Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, or at the LCA box office, or through a reseller like Stubhub or even Ticketmaster's Ticket Exchange. Join the mailing list and check out the Red Wings social media for short notice deals like student and military rush ticket pricing and Fan Packs. Be advised the special offers are typically for low demand games like weekdays. Friday and Saturday games especially near holidays or against Canadian teams are high demand and typically not going to have special offers. These games will most likely not have cheap seats even on the reseller market. New for the 2018-2019 season the LCA has changed to mobile tickets only so no more paper tickets. Check out the mobile ticketing guides for more information. There have been mobile ticket assistance street team members stationed at the main entrances if you have an issue onsite.
  
• Joe Louis Arena is still standing and most of the signage is now gone but you can still snap a photo. The Joe is designated to be torn down at a future date. You can visit the Joe at 19 Steve Yzerman Dr, Detroit, MI 48226.
  
• There are a variety of hotels in Detroit ranging in prices from high at the Westin Book Cadillac to lower at the Holiday Inn Express next door to the Westin. Nearby casinos such as the Ilitch-owned Motor City Casino or MGM offer free shuttle to the LCA or short 8 block walk. Check out TripAdvisor Detroit hotels for additional lodging options.
  
• The LCA now has larger and more variety food options (pizza, shawarma, burritos, salads, sammiches, pulled pork, grilled cheese, etc.) inside but they are all at a premium price. The free game day program at the LCA contains a map. If I am eating at the arena I go for the chicken pita from The Coop. If you want a complete Ilitch experience then get a slice or whole pie of Little Caesars pizza. Detroit is a foodie town and there are many options to choose from outside the arena. If it is your first time to Detroit or haven't been there yet I recommend getting an iconic coney island hot dog from American or Lafayette PROTIP: Lafayette. Check out the /detroit sidebar for more Detroit restaurant suggestions. There are simply too many to list here so suggest your favorites in the comments below!
  
• Harry’s Bar and Temple Bar are neighborhood bars that are within a 2 block walking distance to the LCA if you want to drink and hangout with fans before or after. The Chevy Plaza outside the southwest corner of the LCA has beer stands. The /detroit sidebar has more bar suggestions in and around the city. PROTIP: take the QLINE streetcar (US$1.50/3 hours) to the Canfield stop and quaff a few brews over crack fries at HopCat then take the QLINE south 2 stops (10 blocks) to the LCA stop at Sproat St.
  
• If you're rich and want convenience, park at the LCA VIP parking structure. It may be pricier (US$45 as of 2018-09-20) but it is a comfortable sheltered stroll to the LCA. If you are up for a short walk and would like to save a buck park at the MGM Casino or Motor City Casino for free. From there you can walk 8 blocks or take their free shuttle. The further away you park from the LCA the cheaper it is. Fox Theater is $30, the two Comerica Park structures off the I-75 service drive are both $30. There are also several surface lots nearby, some let you pay in advance. Check out the parking map Some bars also have shuttles for free or a couple bucks. PROTIP: Nemo's has the best shuttle drivers. Early birds park for free on Temple, Woodward, and in Brush Park across Woodward from the LCA but be careful where you park because the police will write tickets if you park illegally. Ask me how I know.
  
• Coming from Canada? There is a Windsor tunnel bus US/CAN$5.00 each way from the bus terminal downtown Windsor (Chatham and Church) to Cass Ave. and the I-75 service drive next to the LCA. Getting through immigration takes a few minutes. Have your passport and don't be drunk. Check the link above for service times and details.
  
• The LCA doors open 1.5 hours before puck drop. There are four sets of doors one at each corner. The Chevy Plaza at the southwest corner has a large screen that shows pre-game hype videos and on occasion the live game. There are also beebeverage stands in the plaza as well as picnic games (e.g. corn hole). You will have to pass through security to enter the Chevy Plaza but no ticket scan until you enter the arena doors. LCA restaurants will let you in even earlier with a ticket but access to the concourse is blocked off until all doors open.
  
• You can sort of watch the players arrive by car (and visitors by bus) into the parking structure off Clifford north of the I-75 service drive.
  
• The best photos of the LCA exterior are from the east side of Woodward just north of the westbound I-75 service drive looking at the building from the southeast corner. Photo
  
• Will Call tickets at the box office located at the northeast corner of the arena off Woodward Ave.
  
• There is a strict bag size policy enforced at the door. I’ve seen some upset people turned away at the doors. Know before you go.
  
• You will have to go through a metal detector and may be subject to extra screening to enter the LCA.
  
• Free WIFI is available inside as well as outside of the arena.
  
• There are free game day programs inside the LCA at the entrances. Grab one because it has an arena map with section numbers and vendor locations including where to get Detroit and Michigan beers. Sometimes there are interesting articles too.
  
• There is a souvenir shop called the Team Store in the southwest corner of the LCA. The authentic signed gear and memorabilia located in the east end of the store. There are also vendors scattered around the via and upper concourse selling souvenirs. PROTIP: the LCA prices are high for swag. Buy your gear ahead of time online or at Detroit Athletic in Detroit, FanaticU or Hockeytown Authentics up in the suburbs.
  
• Friendly ushers are everywhere to help out and answer your questions. Most will take your photo for you if you ask politely.
  
• During warmups, fans congregate around the glass. Players come out at 30 minutes before game time for warmups. PROTIP: I recommend watching the Red Wings shoot at the net during warmups from behind the net on the glass in section 102/103. Hearing the puck smack the glass inches from your face is neat. Same for aisle for 115/116 on the visiting team side behind the net. The ushers will let you down to the ice level for warmups even if you don’t have tickets in that section.
  
• The sea of banners is gone but the retired jerseys and Stanley Cup Championship banners remain. They are not the originals which are now hanging in the practice rink below the main rink. You may not see them until after hype video because they are retractable. The banners share the ceiling with the Pistons banners on the other side. PROTIP: The best photo op for the Red Wing banners is in front of the Fox Sports Detroit broadcast desk at the top of section 219.
  
• There is a nice mix of old and new artwork in the LCA. Take some time before the game to walk around the lower and upper level concourses to see the manholes, the Howe, Lindsey, Delvecchio statues from the Joe, the original Olympia sign, murals of Red Wing greats. Look for the Red Wing logo at the northeast corner lower concourse made of auto parts. There are multiple selfie and photo spots too like the Red Wings bench and Little Caesars spear. The LCA is shared with the Detroit Pistons basketball team so you will see artwork and displays featuring their greats as well.
  
• Every seat at the LCA has a view of the ice. Some seats in the upper level (rows 6 and above between the red lines) have obstructed views of the center ice score board but there displays mounted behind the gondolas. The layout of the seats are steep especially in the upper bowl where there is less leg room then lower bowl. Sections, rows, and seats are on your ticket but navigation is based on portals. Check your ticket for your portal, go to that, then find your section/row/seat. Sit in your own seat. If you see seats that are still empty well into the first period then move to them. If someone asks you to move out of their seat just do it. Explore the arena to check out different seat views. PROTIP: go up to portals 78-82 to check out the vertigo inducing view down from the gondola.
  
• Get to your seat 10 minutes before puck drop to see the pre-game hype video on the huge scoreboard and on-ice projection.
  
• The LCA now has a legit organ with in-house organists. They're pretty entertaining. Check it out the upper concourse behind section 301.
  
• Most Red Wings fans are friendly people and quite knowledgeable about their team and the sport. Strike up a conversation and you'll probably learn something new.
  
• Cheer for your visiting team but don't be a dick about it.
  
• DO NOT STAND UP OUT OF YOUR SEAT WHILE THE PUCK IS IN PLAY.
  
• The LCA has a strict no smoking policy. There is no smoking inside or anywhere outside of the arena at any door. If you leave the LCA to smoke you will not be readmitted.
  
• Yes, that's not the goal horn from the Joe. It is a recording of the Joe horn and to many people is sounds dull, flat, and disappointing. The "horn" is much louder in the lower bowl but then again the speakers are louder in the lower bowl and have a lot more bass than the upper bowl. Since they didn't get a real horn in the off season, chances are the owner doesn't care and won't "fix it" any time soon if at all. I've complained to no avail.
  
• Don't leave early! If the Red Wings win the DJ will play Don't Stop Believing in the final seconds or right after the game ends for you and thousands of your friends to sing along. The arena DJ plays music from multiple genres from Motown to country to pop and is known to take suggestions. He can be reached on Twitter @thehockeyjockey.
  
• There is no public accessible spot for athlete autographs. The best opportunity for autographs is an event created for that purpose such as the Season Ticket Holder Open House, Fan Day Open House, or charity events like Toast of Hockeytown, Charity Poker Tournaments, as well as autograph signing events posted on facebook.
  
• Post-game ride share pickups are along the I-75 service drive southeast of the LCA. Shuttles will pick you up where they dropped you off.
  
• Have fun and enjoy the game!
  

Yesterday I should have seen all the warning signs. I kept drifting out of it while doing research and eventually stopped entirely to scratch an itch to "finally watch Man of Steel" -a movie I've never before cared about and didn't care about as I watched it. For reference, my girlfriend and I don't even own a television. After about 15 minutes I realized I wasn't even watching the movie but just playing with my phone and more just listening to sound effects in the background. I had no idea what was going nor was I bothered to find out. Instead of realizing I was experiencing burnout and unregistering what I could and setting an ideal lineup for the rest, I instead decided that maybe it's for the best I haven't seen any of the modern Superman films and took a nap.
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None of this was typical behavior for me.
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I normally love researching sports data, in fact, I did it even before I ever played DFS. Fangraphs was my default landing page on my browser in college. I used to spend days on end projecting baseball outcomes just for fun. I'm the kind of guy who reads a biography on Napoleon, finds details lacking and then will spend 12 hours straight pouring through online archives of statistics compiled by battlefield surgeons during the Napoleonic Wars because the author didn't give me a satisfactory level of insight into how prevalent bayonets were in actual combat. See, I'm already getting off topic, the point is that I have basically no interest in films like Superman and love absorbing deep and nuanced data. I also never take naps. Something was clearly afoot but I failed to recognize it.
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Bayonet wounds compromised 2% of recorded wounds in Napoleonic warfare if you were wondering.
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What I should have noticed was days earlier I forgot to check in around lock for PGA to scour the site for overlay, bad players making h2hs, or generally weak fields as I normally do.
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I also ignored that recently I'd not been paying as much attention and doing things like forgetting to double check on guys who were probable.
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Tellingly, I also didn't know Boban was starting. I literally passed off all the Boban chatter as sarcastic and never bothered to consider people were being serious.
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And earlier that morning, I forgot to double check on my soccer lineups so had some guys on the bench on my team.
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All of this was ignored. Sure enough, still in this DFS malaise, I not only don't set a real dummy lineup but don't even bother to check in on it before lock. By the time I realize what's going on, some of the games had already started and sure enough, I had button mashed in the backup NJ goalie in my dummy lineup. I normally put in a strong dummy lineup because it helps introduce the upcoming slate to me before I start research in earnest.
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This phenomenon is called burnout. It costs me money every couple months when it appears. It likely does the same to you. You've probably often seen the gpp lineups that never got filled or when someone starts someone against you in h2h that was ruled out long before lock - that's almost always burnout you are witnessing.
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The key is catching it before it hurts you financially. This is easier said than done. Despite all the warning signs poking me right in the face, I just ignored a series symptoms as unrelated events. A few times I even asked myself if it was happening but convinced myself that wasn't the case. It wasn't until the financial consequences became meaningful that the gravity of the situation had set in and I was able to accept what was going on.
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Fortunately for me, the upcoming hockey and basketball slates are very weak so it's easy to fade. It'd be a lot more tempting to just continue playing through it if there weren't only 3 NBA games today. That's my first step in my process of getting out of burnout. I'm still going to play, but instead of having multiple lineups in each slate, I'll switch it up to a single lineup put in sparingly for a fraction of the amount I normally play. I've personally found it's best for me to stay involved, just not for stakes of any significance. I won't start playing with a normal amount again until I find myself naturally and eagerly wanting to research the upcoming slate.
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Burnout was always much easier to deal with during my poker days. In fact, it never was a major problem for me to the extent that it hurts my DFS. I think the reason for this would be that poker requires active involvement whereas DFS is more like a Ronco product with a set it and forget it. It allows you passively partake, something that enables you to keep going on when you really shouldn't. Playing shitty poker takes just as much effort as good poker, playing shitty DFS takes up no time at all whereas one could otherwise spend an entire day preparing for it.
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When I was playing online poker, it was a very simple matter, I'd realize I had no interest in what I was doing and just log out of each table once my big blind came around. I'd then try to spend a bit more time outdoors. I'd go for a walk or a hike and if that wasn't enough, the next day I'd pack up some things and go on a trip. However, with us all having 9-5 jobs, you can't just phone in to the office and say you need some time off to relax and confront your burnout :). So these days it's just a matter of staying involved by playing for like $1 and wait for the urge to research comes back. No road trips to Moab, Utah or days on the beach.
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Sooner or later I'd start feeling that itch again and things would be back to normal. When I was playing live it was another matter. Usually being in Macau, there wasn't really all that much for hiking or camping on a congested island. Furthermore, never being a permanent resident there, each day I was there I was paying for rent back home and a hotel room/airbnb over there - in essence, burnout simply ate into my ROI. I'd view time not spent at the tables as time that was wasted so I created a one day break with a test afterwards to determine whether I kept playing or packed up and went home.
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So when I began not feeling like myself at the tables from these constant high stakes sessions, I made a habit of hitting up the Clube Militar De Macau. This was a fascinating place, it used to be where the Portugese Military hung out during the colonial era and these days it's just an out of place building surrounded by the older casinos, an alley of Philipino tranny hookers and fake jewelry shops that pretend to sell you stuff but really just give you unofficial cash advances on your credit card. I always got a kick out of that, all the pomp and circumstance which used to encompass that building and the people who used to occupy it... always wondered what they'd think if they knew it's become a derelict just barely hanging onto survival with a very reasonably priced lunch buffet. Without fail, it's always empty.
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I'd sit down and order a Vinha D'Alhos along with a bottle of wine and just soak up the setting, think about my recent play and keep drinking until I thought about something else. Sometimes, I'd need to get a second or third bottle of wine. Then I'd go on a walk through the old city, see the free standing wall that remains of the old cathedral and then loop back around and hit up the evil empire of degeneracy that is the Cystal Palace Casino.
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Now Macau has many casinos, some were big in the past that are largely empty today, others are modern and luxurious ones that are crowded today. The Crystal Palace is neither of those. It's a tiny little place crammed into 2 rooms on the 3 floor of the Hotel Lisboa, not to be confused with the Grand Lisboa, which is across the street. While most of Macau is baccarat and high stakes (most places the min bet is over $50), the Crystal Palace fills a little niche of broke degenerates offering min bets for less than $10. This is where I'd happily take the amount I'd normally play in blinds in a single orbit and stretch it out over several hours of mindlessness. I'd start off with Blackjack and then once too inebriated to be counting accurately (like with burnout, probably never realized until well after it'd begun) I'd then switch it up and play baccarat as no amount of drunkeness can screw that up because there's no way to impact the outcome one bit. They will however let you touch, bend and play with the cards, which can actually be fun after a couple drinks.
Afterwards, I'd head back to the hotel and lay down in bed listening to my current audiobook - usually science fiction. I'd drink plenty of water, eat some healthy food and get very well rested and sleep for a very long time. The next morning I'd again hit up the Crystal Palace, but this time go straight to the poker room and get on the list. After an hour or two playing the low stakes poker they offer, I'd make a decision over whether I was still feeling it or rather thinking of blackjack and baccarat. If I was back in the mood for poker, then I'd head off to the Wynn or another casino with a poker room. If I wasn't, then I'd cash out, book tickets home and play more baccarat and blackjack until it was time to leave for my flight.
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That's really how I could tell whether or not I was still going through burnout. If I felt more attracted to much more mindless and instant gratification pit games than grinding away at the poker tables. For DFS, there is no real active involvement, so I don't have that indicator. It's much more subtle. It's a lot harder to detect when burnout is occuring, and it's much more difficult to confront. Since poker is active, I just had to do something else and wait for my desire to return. But for DFS, there's always that "oh I should set some lineups" mentality that's basically automatic process for most people. For many of us, a day without setting lineups is like a day without lunch, it may happen, but it feels abnormal and while one can sit down and play poker when not into it, DFS is orders of magnitude easier to passively do and that's the danger, that you could be burning ROI before realizing you are burning.
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So whenever you start feeling different, be it getting bored while doing research, wanting to play some baccarat or oddly have a desire to watch Man of Steel, try to pay attention to it and reconsider whether or not you should be playing DFS for more than a token amount that day. It's easier said than done, but recognizing burnout and taking proactive steps to limit the damage are essential for any sustained DFS grind in which we all partake.
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I still have yet to find a new way to bring my mind back into the game, which is the primary reason I'm writing about it here. I'm hoping this can help. Most likely though, I'll just wait it out and sometime soon be thinking hard about researching Harden's game time status again, and then I'll know it's safe to play again.