Awfully Cheerful Engine! (ACE!) Role Playing Game

Back in June, the Kickstarter for the Awfully Cheerful Engine! (or ACE!) Role Playing Game was funded. Usually, I'm an all digital guy when it comes to books but for some reason I splurged for the physical books on this one. What drew me to the Kickstarter was the promise of multiple settings and a fast, easy system.

It's also sort of comic book-y. The game books are around 30 pages and comic sized. Each one is an "issue" in the series. Before I dive into the books, I want to get my major gripe with them out of the way.

While they're comic sized, they have a bound spine instead of being stapled. What this means with a thin 30-page book is that you can't lay it flat open and keep it in minty condition. In addition to collecting things, I like to keep any of my books in the best possible shape. Lucky for me, the "all-in" pledge level includes PDFs of all the books too. If I'd kicked in another $40 I could have gone with the deluxe hardcover edition but I really like the comic size format.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Earlier this year, Mrs Dex and I were trying to think up something fun to do that wouldn't require being around a lot of people. Not that we're anti-social but you know...Covid. She came up with the idea of visiting wildlife sanctuaries and that's become an occasional thing to do when the weather is nice.

Recently we went to Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary and I figured I'd share some pics and maybe inspire others to check out their local wildlife places. It's one of those things people either don't know about or forget about, like libraries.

This particular place has 12 miles of trails. I would guess we might have barely covered 1/6 of that. There were plenty of critters to be seen and really, that's the main reason I want to explore these areas. It's funny when you think about it. These sanctuaries aren't far from your home but you'll never see some of these animals in your neighborhood.

2021 Countdown to Halloween

 If you haven't been seeing #CodeOrange pop up in your Instagram feed, you're not following the right people! I got my first Halloween themed Oriental Trading Company catalog so it's officially Halloween season as far as I'm concerned!

Sign ups are now open for the annual Coutndown to Halloween blog-along. Visit the site and you can find the sign up link in the right sidebar. The Countdown isn't just for bloggers anymore, either! You can sign up using your social platform of choice and we'll link you in the participant list. You read that correctly, I said "we"...

A little bit ago, Michelle/Naila Moon, one half of last year's Countdown hosting duo, contacted me saying her previous co-host wouldn't be able to host this year and asked me to step in to help out! This Countdown is one of the main reasons I started this blog, so of course I said yes!

This blogger badges for 2021 were just posted yesterday and they are gore-geous! We can't thank Jerry from Señor Scary enough for doing these for us. Here's a sample:

We've started an Instagram for the Countdown as well. You can find it at instagram.com/countdowntohalloweenblog or scan this QR code using Instgram to go right to the page. Give it a follow while you're there, won't you?

If you're posting Halloween stuff on IG, use #CountdownToHalloween2021 and we may repost...regram...whatever you call it on Insta!

Monthly Media Recap - July 2021

July was quite the month for new content releases!

What have you seen lately that was good? Let me know in the comments.

Streaming

 

Black Summer (S2, Netflix) - I'm still struggling to get through this season. The first was a breath of fresh air after the Walking Dead soap opera but I'm just not into this season. I think part of it is the Pulp Fiction non-linear story telling.

Gilmore Girls (S3, Netflix) - You may recall last month when I said I wasn't addicted or anything and I was trying to watch an episode a day? Well, it's now pretty much the nightly routine to watch one before bed.

 

Loki (S1, Disney+) - I really enjoyed my time with Loki, Sylvie, and the other Lokis but it's hard to make a final verdict when there's still more to come. I'm sure it will all make more sense down the road.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation (Netflix) - The extent of my MotU fandom was watching the cartoon when it originally aired and owning a Skeletor figure. Despite the massive toy line, I never got far into it so I didn't have any expectations here. To keep this short, I really enjoyed it and LOVE how it ended! Bring on the next season. Tri-klops and his tech cult were awesome!

Behind the Attraction (Disney+) - From the folks that brought you The Toys/Movies That Made Us! If you enjoy the Disney parks, this is look behind the "making of" some of the biggest attractions is a no brainer! Page Brewster is perfection as narrator.