March Painting, Final Results

The end of the month has arrived and I have not made my goal. I won’t lie, while disappointed, I’m not surprised. I came very close and encourage you to check out my finished models and works-in-progress over at Instagram. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and anxious to finish the few pieces I have left.

Of course this also means I haven’t played my marathon of games in an attempt to advance through the campaign. I have a couple of interested parties but two things factored into my ability to hold a day of gaming. First, I wasn’t finished painting. To be fair I might have considered playing with some unfinished or unstarted figures but then something else happened; Easter. I was actually unaware that Easter was in March this year. As such, the last week of March ended up being so busy I fell off of my painting and hit the inevitable wall of people doing family things for the holiday.

I’m sad I din’t finish the challenge this month, but I’m happy I tried. In the end, I think that’s what this entire project is for. I will continue to try new things. I wil lkeep challenging myself to new highs and harder goals. For April I have a tournament coming up. It’s a road trip and while I’ve already taken part in a tournament that I’ve written about this year, I may try and do something new for this one. Maybe, play a faction I haven’t used except for some pickup games. Maybe instead of the Guild I’ll play Ressers, or even Gremlins. I don’t know yet. I just know I’ll enjoy the challenge.

March Painting Challenge

This is a short post because I’m done with this month yet. This month, I’ve decided to take a page from the Dice Tower and complete their February challenge. Last month Sam Healey and Rob Oren painted every miniature in the board game Arcadia quest. Once finished they played a game and streamed it live over the internet. I’m trying the same thing this month.

There are a couple of things that make the challenge different for me. First I got the game on Kickstarter. This means that in addition to the base game I have several additional miniatures, boards, scenarios, and expansions. Because of this, I’m limiting myself to only painting the monsters for the base campaign. Additionally, I have lots of extra heroes, so I’m only painting twelve mostly randomly chosen heroes. Second, I said Rob and Sam painted the base set. There are two of them and only one of me. This means that I may not be able to finish. I hope I can; I really want to. Part of my attempt to accomplish this is leading to another gaming first for me, but more on that later. The third problem I’m having is finding enough people who can commit to spending a day playing Arcadia Quest. While I don’t think we’ll finish the campaign, I’d like to at least play deep enough to use all of the figures once. A full campaign consist of six games, I think I can play every mini once in four scenarios. At ninety minutes a game with a break for dinner, that’s a whole day. The original Dice Tower challenge involved streaming the game. I’m just not going to be able to do that. I do not have the cameras, equipment, or experience to accomplish the feat. I wish I did, I’d love to try. I just don’t have the necessary things.

There’s a lot stacking up against me here. I’m going to try very hard to accomplish as much of it as I can. Right now, I’m not sure how much I’ll succeed at.

There are a couple of things I’m doing to help me accomplish my goal. One of them is something I’ve often talked about but never done. Several of my friends play various miniature games. For those games we like to have painted figures. Over the years we’ve talked about having a painting party. A day where we all get together at someone’s house and paint all day. We’ve talked about this for probably twenty years and yet, it’s never happened. This Saturday, it’s going to occur. I will be painting some figs with my friends. They will bring their own minis and projects but we will all hang out, chat, paint, and watch the live stream of Heroes of the Dorm. Go Chicago! (I picked HeroesMeon for the bracket.)

We’re half-way through the month. I still have time to get some people together to help me play. I have a couple of tentative ideas but need to start really nailing people down for the day. Hopefully, I can get done and be ready to go with a completed game.

I’m giving myself a little leeway on this one. I’ve accepted that it is possible I will fail at this in some way. I hope I don’t, but I realize I might. I will post here again as I grow closer to talk about what I might or might not be capable of. Hopefully, I’ll have some pretty good news for you. If you want to follow along, I’m posting pictures on Instagram. I will also try and periscope at least a little of the days in question. If I can accomplish the periscope, I’ll see if I can load them to my YouTube channel. Hopefully, I can succeed. Only time will tell.

Cowboy's & Demons

My year in gaming continues. I rode out to Columbus with my friend Sean. We were going up for a local Malifaux tournament at the Guardtower, a friendly local game store (FLGS). Before I get too deep in, this is not a review of the tournament, the Guardtower, or Malifaux. That said, everyone was great, if this were a review, it would be glowing. I enjoy getting to spend time gaming and I have wonderful friends to do it with. Sean is one of those people I truly enjoying hanging out with and welcome his addition to any event.

For those of you who don’t know, Malifaux is a miniatures games. It’s a cross-genre, skirmish affair with small numbers of models. What genres you ask? *Deep Breath* It’s western, steam-punk, gothic, Lovecraftian, Victorian, fantasy, folklore, hillbilly, comedy, horror, wuxia setting. I’m pretty sure I got them all. The game takes place over a series of five or more rounds where two players take turns activating and using one of the figures in their crew. We use a deck of cards as a randomizer to determine the outcomes of actions such as shooting guns, casting spells, resisting the terrors of the world, or causing someone to dig up a useful dead body. Each game revolves around a mission with set goals. They also include a list of five side missions that each player may secretly choose two of to gain additional points from. Over the course of the game both players attempt to complete their goals while stopping their opponents from completing theirs. Points are awarded for how successful they are and, as in most cases, most points at the end wins.

There are seven factions in the game each with dozens of different models. For the purposes of this tournament we were to choose a faction for the entire tournament. We could bring with us any models that would be legal for that faction to play. After being assigned an opponent we would tell them what faction we would be playing. Then decide what models we would be using from the ones we brought. I brought the Guild. Basically the Pinkerton’s meet the weird west. They’re a totalitarian bunch of douchebags who have managed to get some fairly heroic people to work for them in order to defend the populace.

My first game was against Patrick; he was also playing guild. The mission was interference. It involved dividing the table into quarters and controlling as many as possible. The side missions were all about getting to the middle of the table or onto my opponents side. For this reason I chose Lady Justice, an undead hunter, as my master, the games term for leader. Lady Justice is a hand-to-hand monster and quite capable of ripping an entire crew to shreds with a little luck. I backed her up with a number of equally focused models that would do well in a melee. Patrick chose the Ortega’s. The one crew I’d hoped he wouldn’t. The direct counter to Lady Justice in the Guild are the incredibly shooty Ortega clan, a family of demon hunters.

I did okay for the first two rounds but the early loss of my executioner, high value target and the picking off of several of my smaller models led to an eight to zero loss. The match went well and despite a shellacking in the points I think I held my own pretty well. I was able to contain him for most of the match and take out several of his smaller models that he used as a shield for his more valued ones. The use of long range attacks from Austringers, a type of falconer, kept my crew pinned and weakened for much of the match. Still Patrick was a great opponent and a lot of fun to play against.

In round two I faced John and his Outcasts, a collection of mercenaries, outlaws, and independent horrors. John chose to take his crew from the third group and used Jack Daw, the animated and angry body of a man hung by the neck till dead. Jack and his crew of animated convicts, murderers, executed, and tortured were a challenge. Knowing that I was going up against Outcasts and that several of the masters in that faction have access to undead, I had once again chosen Lady Justice. In this mission we would be fighting over the center of the board; another factor in my Lady Justice decision.

This was a close game, scoring three to five in my favor, mostly due to an unfortunate placement by John in the last round. In the first round I got extremely lucky and managed to take out one of his high cost models. I was able to use my forces to get in a couple of long range kills against smaller models. Though John was able to thrash into my team with fairly decent abandon. In the end it was a bloody victory that came about by John accidently placing his leader too far from the center to get credit for one of the mission goals. It cost him three points and the win. It was good for me, but I’ve been in his shoes and it sucks to see that. It had been a great game with a fun opponent marred only by an unfortunate win.

In the final round I played Max and his Neverborn, a faction of demons and horrors. The mission was headhunter and involved killing members of the other team and then collecting their heads from the ground. It was going to be an intense and bloody fight with both teams having to move in on one another. For this I chose Ortega’s. As stated before they are a family of demon hunters and as such are able to deal a bit more efficiently with the special rules many of the Neverborn have.

My opponent Max chose, Lilith, a blender with legs. Lilith is a Hand-to-hand master with a couple of nasty spells in her arsenal. Her ability to summon forests was particularly useful. I took Nino, a long range sharpshooter who can rip a model to shreds. Unfortunately, there was a forest in his way for most of the game. Even with that, I never felt like I was out of the match. I think I was able to keep up with Max in his kill streak that was leveled against me. But he was better able to control the battlefield and get the points than I was. It was a good solid win by a player who just did a much better job than I did.

Max ended up beating me ten to zero, both ends of the maximum number of points. He was still friendly and I don’t think he ever felt like he had the game in the bag. I believe I gave him a good game, I just wasn’t able to score the points I needed to win. Despite the trouncing, Max was fun and engaging the whole time.

All in all, I had a fantastic time the whole day. I loved getting to play with each of my opponents. The looks of all the models put out for the painting competition were fantastic to look at, including a beautiful Ten Thunders army that got put out. I won a door prize, which was nice. I have a Whisky Golem to use with my Gremlins crew.

It was a great day and if you ever find yourself in the Columbus area and looking for a FLGS to hang out in for a couple of hours I can’t say enough good things about the folks at the Guardtower. Thanks to all of my opponents, even the ones I didn’t play against. To the tournament organizers, thanks to you as well for a fantastic day. Sure I lost a lot, but I had a good time.

Now I need to plan my March gaming event. Perhaps I’ll try a D&D adventure league game, trying an online roleplay session, or even something new I haven’t thought of. Any suggestions?

The End of the World as We Know it

Gaming in 2016: January

My year in gaming has begun. As I said in a previous post, I want to try and report on new gaming events and activities that I try each month this year. This is partially to expand my experience as a gamer but also to give me something to write about with more regularity. To both ends, I recently got a group together to play a one-shot RPG.

I’m going to supply a bit of context for those unfamiliar with gaming terms. An RPG is a Role-Play Game. It’s a tabletop adventure game that usually features one player, called a Game Master or GM, telling a story and the other players taking the parts of characters in the story. Characters are created through a series of rules that give them representations for physical and mental statistics, skills, special abilities, and any unique powers they may possess. The GM will give the players a scenario and ask how the player’s characters will react to the situation. Once that’s established, they use the games rules and mechanisms to determine the outcome. This usually involves comparing various numeric values for all the characters involved and rolling dice.

Some of you unfamiliar with gaming might be asking what’s to stop the players or GM from making stuff up that lets them do or not do whatever they want? Simply put, there is an unspoken agreement between everyone at the table to adhere to the spirit of the story being told. If we’re playing a western that takes place in the 1800 you’re unlikely to have your character try and invent a car because it’s not fitting with the theme of the game. If we’re playing a fantasy setting you’re most likely not going to try and have your character suddenly figure out the exact formula for gun powder and a method for forming steel into a Colt Peacemaker. Of course these things aren’t necessarily going to not happen. You will on occasion come across a player who decides that they want to do this and should be allowed to because they can find an obscure rule that lets them. These players tend to never get invited back to play again. Similarly, if a GM abuses his players, never lets them deviate from the story, or discourages creative ideas, they will quickly find themselves without players.

Having said all of that, I want to talk about Sunday. My group decided to meet at my house and play a game we’d never tried before. I narrowed it down to two games: Maid and The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods. I prepared a rough outline for both games. I did this partly because I wasn’t sure which game we would play and also because I’ve discovered over the years that by setting up to rigid a story I would be preventing both myself and my players from having fun. I prefer to allow my players to explore the world and their options. I want them to come up with creative solutions that force me to quickly think up the results and responses from the various monsters and villains.

My group choose the End of the World. I had set up a quick romp through Ragnarok. The End of the World is a series of rule books from Fantasy Flight Games. Each book outlines the rules, enemies, and timelines for various apocalyptic scenarios. There are four books in the series, with there in publication at this time. I choose the one with Deity based world ending horror, the others were zombies, aliens, and machines. In the book were five detailed sections on different religious endings. From nature rising against man to Revelations to Cthulhu. As stated earlier, I choose Vikings.

One of the things I like about TEotW is the system for character creation is, to my knowledge, unique. The players play themselves. Their stats and skills are based on what they can and cannot do. Their equipment is what they have in their pockets at the time of the game. Their motivation is what they would do if this occurred right now.

The adventure was simple, using the set up and time line in the section I had the group experience a vivid dream that showed them their own deaths. They now knew exactly how they would die, though not when. They had a view of maybe a minute before the event occurred, but they couldn’t know exactly when the event would occur. Maybe five minutes, five years, or fifty, there was no way to be sure. With this knowledge the group began checking on family and friends. They wanted to make sure everyone was okay. For the purposes of making my life as a GM simpler, I had an event occur. After making sure it was okay with the two players it concerned, I had their seven month old baby kidnapped by his grandmother. Mostly because I didn’t want to run a game where I had to worry about a baby. I was willing to do it, but it seemed like a bit of a problem for a new system.

While the events of Ragnarok began unfolding the group was trying to find a safe place to stay, get family and friends to shelter, secure housing, get food, obtain gas, and generally prepare for the worst. They had to deal with things like earthquakes, a massive Tsunami in the Pacific, (we’re in Ohio, so not a huge problem) then the sun and moon disappeared completely. Other problems began to come to light, local police and military were in chaos as they dealt with the fallout from people reacting to how they were going to die. Some people were running in an attempt to escape it, some people were attempting murder, to prevent the person who they knew would kill them from getting the chance, and some people just disappearing.

The worst of this was politicians and world leaders who responded to seeing how they would die by moving troops and declaring war on other nations. Under these conditions World War three was inevitable. The group managed to settle down into an easy routine, chasing away looters, fighting the occasional monster, and then a massive earthquake struck. Shortly after that, a bright light appeared on the horizon. At first they thought the sun was returning, but they quickly realized it was noon and the glow was in the west. With a little research, radio communication, and a bit of internet hacking they learned Indiana was on fire. This was mostly due to Surtur and his fire giants rampaging across the state.

The groups life was further complicated when they managed to warn Heimdall as Loki was about to stab him in the back. Heimdall recognizing the group as fated asked them to complete a task that could help Freyar, who was battling Surtur. Loki had stolen Freyar’s sword and Heimdall was attempting to retrieve it. If the group could go and find four heroes to aid in Freyar’s battle then it could give Heimdall enough time to find the sword and possibly sway the battle. The group agreed.

Using the winged mounts of Valkyries they traveled across the globe seeking legendary heroes who had been released from Valhalla to fight in the war. They ended up joining forces with Robin Hood, Fa Mulan, Kalunga, and John Wayne. Returning in time they were able to help Freyar buy time for Heimdall to return with the sword, and allow events to unfold in the manner they were foretold.

Overall the day was fun. I wish I had a better handle on the rules. I think I made some mistakes with how things were done. For example, three Duregar, Viking zombies, were far more difficult a fight than a troll. Beyond that, I like the system and how everything worked. We did skip one step in character creation. The rules call for a moment where everyone votes on what each person has chosen for their stats. I found this to be a bit mean, and decided to skip it.

In the end I’m glad we played. I’ll go over the rules once again before playing a second time. I would like to try this game again in the future. I look forward to running my friends through some other vicious, world ending escapade. Maybe with aliens next time?

Gaming in 2016

I’m always looking for something to write about in my blog. I want interesting pieces on a topic I feel I can add to. I think nonfiction would be interesting and I get a lot of suggestions about doing it. The problem, I’m not particularly good at writing nonfiction. I also like to have a goal or schedule. It helps to give myself a deadline that I must follow.

Putting all of that together, I’ve decide that I’m going to write at least one article a month featuring my interaction with a gaming experience. By that I mean anything new or interesting I’ve done in regards to gaming. I have three events planned for this year so far. In February I’m going to a Malifaux tournament in Columbus, Ohio. In May, I’m traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the CMONexpo. Finally, in November, I will take part in the Extra-Life Marathon for the fourth time. I hope to add more events or tournaments as the year goes on. In 2015 I got to road trip to Michigan for a Malifaux qualifying tournament for the National Championship. I hope to be able to attend something similar this year, though no events have been announced yet.

Each individual event has its challenges. The tournament in Columbus for example isn’t a particularly new thing. I’ve been in tournaments before, I will be again. This one isn’t a major event, it’s a local tournament for maybe sixteen people. However, the act of driving to Columbus, taking part in the event, and spending the day with friends feels special to me. I also hope that this will be the only event that is a local tournament. Though, I’m not discounting the idea. Local events can be spectacularly fun and unique.

CMONexpo in May is a challenge as well. I’ll have to drive to the event. That will end up being an eight to ten hour trip. As of the writing of this, I am going alone. That is a long drive to take by myself. I can do it, I just wish I didn’t have too. Cost will also be a factor. I’m staying in a hotel, renting a car, and having to buy food for six days on the road, trying to avoid fast food as much as possible. Still, it will be something new, I’m going to a different state, one that I’ve never visited. I’ll get to take part in a small event, no more than five hundred participants. I hope, I’ll get to tweet, post pictures, and thoughts from the expo.

Finally, the Extra-Life Marathon. While not a new experience, it will be amazing. I’ve enjoyed every year I’ve taken part and I look forward to it every year. It’s long, exhausting, involved, and to some extent nerve-wracking. It’s also an amazing, fun, wonderful, inspiring, and humbling experience. It was one of the highlight from 2015 and I expect it to be so in 2016.

There are a few events in limbo. It is possible that I will take part in a qualifier tournament for Star Wars Imperial Assault at the end of January. Though I’m not sure at this point. I’d love to attend Gencon in August, but the expense and amount of prep work on getting a hotel room, tickets, and the cost may prove insurmountable.

There is also the matter of January, I want an event for January. I think I will try and have friends over to play an RPG one-shot and attempt to record the event for either my blog, as a podcast, or a video for my YouTube channel. It may not work, but at least I will try. What RPG I will play is currently bound to three different choices. I’m considering The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods, Fiasco, or Maid. I realize these are wildly different style of games. However, they are each, in their own way, a story-telling experience.

Those are my plans. This is my promise: I will write at least one gaming related post each month in 2016. It will focus on at least one new event, experience, or special occasion. I will work to do this. If I break this promise to you, my readers, please hold accountable. I am asking you to come at me bro. If I screw up, harangue me, harry me with messages, comments, and generally cross glances. Give me what fore. Hopefully you won’t have too.

2015 and Beyond

2015 and Beyond

By Steve Mayne

I’ve never been particularly good at introspection. The desire to look at my life, see how it’s going, and what it means, has never come easy to me. Still, I wanted to take a moment to look back at the past year and think about how things went.

I had a couple of big events. I got to take part in the Antioch Writers Workshop and become a part of one of the best…no, the best group of writers and creatives I’ve ever met. I can’t tell you how much I anticipate seeing each and every one of them on a shelf at my local book store. I got to read stories featuring dragons, summer camp, love, not-vampires, regret, envy, youth, family, and so much more. I was excited to show up every day. I got to hear their words and ideas. To see the work each of us had done. I feel privileged to still be in correspondence with them. It’s made me want to go back next year in hopes of meeting them again.

My YouTube channel is starting to gain ground. People are watching and responding to my videos. I get comments and likes. People I’ve never met are sharing my work on Twitter. It may not seem like much, but it’s special to me that people are sharing something I created.

After a year of work I finished the Ballad of Tractor John. I wrote a new entry every day for a full year and was so happy to see it fill out and become a glorious piece of fiction. Not every day was great. Some were short, one or two sentences. On others, I struggled to keep it under a couple of paragraphs. It wasn’t always easy to come up with a new and interesting fact or idea. I was still on the fence with how to end it until it actually came time to write it all down. Still, it is an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. I even choked up at the end when I put the piece away.

An article I wrote got published in the Antioch Voice. It was concerning all of the art vandalism that had been going on in response to the Confederate Flag being removed from government buildings. It was a fine piece and I’m proud of it and its message. I don’t know that it will effect anyone or change anything. It made me feel good to write it. I’m not typically a non-fiction writer because I find it hard to put reality into words without making it bigger and better. I wrote the Antioch piece from my heart and was thrilled to see it find life in publication. I’m grateful to Denny and Whitney for giving me a chance to be heard.

I created and finished my first ever individualized class for my Writing Master’s Degree. It was How to Write Complex Female Characters. I learned so very much in that class. Even with a few setbacks, which include one of the books I had chosen being useless to the topic, a paper that I wrote failing to take into account the purpose of the class itself, and the realization that the scope of the class, female characters, was far too narrow. I appreciate my advisor in the class, Nancy Moore, who was wonderful, supportive, thoughtful, and thoroughly unwilling to let me skate by on anything.

I spent twenty-four hours in November taking part in the charity gaming marathon, Extra-Life. I raised $390 for the Dayton Children’s hospital. I beat last year by five dollars. While not as much as I would have liked it was still a good amount and I was thrilled with the generosity of my family and friends. I was helped through my day by several wonderful people who showed up and took part in the event. We had so much fun. I got to play many new games and several old favorites. I intended to do this again next year. I look forward to it.

There were disappointments this year. My low points were infrequent compared to the highs so I can’t complain too much. Though you will excuse me if I indulge myself for at least a paragraph.

I didn’t make any conventions, though I did manage to road trip a couple of nearby tournaments with Keebler Powell. I miss going to Gencon every year. I want to go back and spend the whole four to five days immersed in gaming. There are times when I feel alone and times when I could not want for more love and support. I’ve missed a few important dates and events that I had not been able to take part in for one reason or another. I missed out on a couple of parties and celebrations, some of my own that I had to cancel because of people not being able to attend or unexpected house guests.

In the end 2015 was a good year. I will look back on it with fondness and joy. I wish I had a better gift for prose and inspiration as I look forward to 2016. I have a friend, Ron, who is very good at being inspirational and beautiful in his words. Because of that I think I will finish with something he wrote that I feel applies here.

I Suggest that We all be Brave in the Face of Pain, Be Courageous when Faced with Heartache, and Love Wholeheartedly those People who might need it the most in 16’. I Challenge You All to Remain Unselfish and to Act Different from the Status Quo of Today’s Misguided Populous. Even if that takes propagating self-love to find a more beautiful paradise in your stable minds. I say, hey, at least you have arrived my friends, so, go forth and be courageous, we must act brave for goodness sakes. Remember, our lives are but a dream… So, Dream Big! ~Ron Maynard

Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

Once upon a time, there were two young cousins named Molly and Hudson, and their dog, a beagle named Daisy.

It was two days before Christmas and school was on vacation. The three of them were in the backyard building a snowman with their friends, Stephen the gnome and Amelia the fairy. Hudson and Molly, dressed in their warmest clothes, lifted the snowman’s head on top of his shoulders. Stephen, wearing a fetching scarf and his fancy hat with the feather, placed pieces of coal on the snowman’s chest. Amelia, wore a pretty green dress with white fur around the hem, her arms, and her wings. She flapped her wings so fast they buzzed as she flew around the Snowman’s head, tying a scarf around his neck. Daisy lopped through the snow with a carrot in her mouth so they could give the snowman a nose.

Once they were finished they stood back and smiled at their hard work.

“He looks happy.” Said Molly.

“He’s a lot taller than the one we built last year.” Said Hudson.

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

“Again, I’m sorry I forgot his hat at home.” Said Stephen.

“You can bring it tonight, for the sleepover.” Said Amelia.

Stephen agreed and everyone was happy.

Hudson’s mother came to the backdoor and called to Molly, Hudson, and Daisy. It was time to go inside and get some coco.

“Can you come in too?” Molly asked Stephen and Amelia.

“Please.” Said Hudson. “My Mom made her special honey cookies that you like.”

Stephen and Amelia thought about the offer.

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

“You’re right Daisy.” Said Stephen, who like all gnomes was fluent in dog. “We have to go to our homes to prepare for a visit from the Christmas Werewolves.”

“Oh my. That is tonight.” Said Amelia, her wings fluttering a little faster.

“What are Christmas werewolves?” Asked Hudson.

“I don’t think I’d like to meet werewolves.” Said Molly. “Even if they are Christmas werewolves.”

“It’s okay.” Said Stephen. “Christmas Werewolves are friendly.”

“It’s all a part of the peace accords.” Said Amelia.

“What peace accords?” Asked Hudson.

“Unlike today, where you two and Daisy are good friends.” Said Stephen. “There was a time when man and beast were at war.”

“Was it a bad war?” Asked Molly.

“There is seldom a good one.” Said Amelia. “Though truthfully, this was one of the worst.”

“Woof.” Said Daisy, nodding solemnly.

“That’s right Daisy.” Said Stephen. “Cites were destroyed and forests were toppled.”

“The ancient Cat city of Basttin disappeared into the sands of Egypt, West of Cairo.” Said Amelia.

“Man’s glorious city of Atlantis sank below the waves of the ocean.” Said Stephen.

“That’s awful.” Said Hudson.

“How did it end?” Asked Molly.

“One-thousand eight-hundred years ago, a peace was negotiated by Amber, Queen of the Faries.” Said Amelia.

“Ever since then, there has been peace.” Said Stephen.

“I’m glad it ended well.” Said Molly.

“It did.” Said Amelia.

“But why does that mean we’ll be visited by a werewolf tonight?” Asked Hudson.

“As part of the accord, a Christmas Werewolf visits each house with a pet.” Said Stephen. “He asks the pet how their humans have been treating them.”

“It only happens once every thirty years or so.” Said Amelia. “There will be a full moon on Christmas and then the Werewolves can visit.”

“You said you have to get ready.” Said Molly.

“That’s right.” Said Hudson. “Should we do anything?”

“It is tradition that you leave out a bowl of water and a snack for the Werewolves.” Said Amelia.

“That’s what we’re going to do.” Said Stephen.

Hudson’s mother called from the house again.

“We should go.” Said Hudson.

“We’ll see you tonight.” Said Molly.

“We’ll be back after your parents go to sleep.” Said Amelia.

“I’ll remember to bring the hat from my house.” Said Stephen.

*  *  *

That night everyone gathered at Hudson’s for their annual Christmas sleep-over. Molly and Hudson shared the large bed in the guest room. They curled up under the big fancy quilt with Amelia and Stephen lying under the covers nearby. Daisy was curled up at the foot of the bed snoring gently.

It had taken some convincing but Hudson had gotten his parents to put out a bowl of water with some ice. It sat on a small table with a plate of cheese cubes from a tray they’d gotten for their holiday party the next day.

The night was cold but the quilt was so warm.

Crunch.

Molly froze under the quilt suddenly wide awake. She thought she’d just heard something.

She looked at Hudson under the covers and saw that he had woken up as well. The two of them strained their ears, listening for sound in the room. A long time passed and they heard nothing. They must have imagined it.

Crunch.

There it was again. Was that the sound of someone in the room? Molly lifted the covers just a little bit and looked into the darkness beyond. There was nothing there it was… Wait. There was a red glow that cleared the darkness. Then the light went away.

Hudson gripped his pillow and Molly took hold of hers. They silently mouthed, “One…two…three.” They leapt from under the covers swinging their pillows at the huge shadow in the room.

As they jumped from bed they knocked Stephen from under the covers and onto the floor. Stephen sprung to his feet and grabbed the needle sized sword from his pile of clothes. Amelia pushed her way out from under the covers and rose into the air, her wings glowing bright enough to light the room.

Molly and Hudson gasped.

In the center of the room stood a massive werewolf. He was so tall that he had to hunch over to avoid the ceiling fan. His pants were straining against his legs, the lower halves of each pant leg shredded and torn to his knees. One of his feet was bare and the other had the remains of white sneaker that had ripped from the inside. Even if it had been whole the children doubted if the massive claws that pierced through the end would have been kept inside. Around his waist was a bright blue fanny pack fixed loosely in place. A bright red sweater with a white and green repeating pattern of Christmas bulbs was pulled tight across his chest. On the front of the sweater was sewn a picture of a smiling reindeer, its head jutting out of the inside of a great woolly Christmas wreath. As they stared at the werewolf and his sweater, the reindeer’s nose glowed briefly.

The werewolf held the bowl of water in its massive hand. His head bowed down and his tongue sticking out midway to the water. The werewolf pulled his tongue back into his mouth and swallowed. “Um. Happy holidays.” Said the Werewolf.

Stephen straightened and returned his sword to its scabbard. He bowed to the werewolf. “My apologies sir. I was woken suddenly and did not realize who you were.”

“Yes. Yes.” Said Amelia. “We are very sorry.”

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

The werewolf nodded. “It’s all right ma’am. It happens from time to time.” The werewolf started to unzip his fanny pack. “I have some sleep dust from the Sandman in here.”

“You know Kevin?” Asked Hudson.

“How is he?” Asked Molly.

The werewolf paused. “How do you know Kevin the Sandman?” He Asked.

“He helped our friend Morgan see Santa two years ago.” Said Hudson.

“Last year, he introduced us to Scot. That was so Grandma could see Granddad again.” Said Molly.

The werewolf knelt down. “Are you the ones who braved the dreamscape so a sick friend could visit Santa?”

“Yes.” Said Hudson

“The ones who gave up their Christmas wishes for their Grandmother?” Asked the Werewolf.

“We did.” Said Molly.

“Who entered the cave of lost items to find the Fairy Queens ball?”

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

The werewolf bowed his head. “Then you must be, Hudson, Molly, and Daisy. It is my honor to meet you.” Said the werewolf.

“Woof?” Asked Daisy.

“Of course.” Said the werewolf. “Where are my manners? My name is Keith.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you Keith.” Said Molly as she curtsied.

“Can you stay long?” Asked Hudson.

“I would love to.” Said Keith. “But, I have many houses to visit and many pets to talk to before the sun rises.”

“We understand.” Said Molly.

“Maybe next time.” Said Hudson.

“Maybe.” Said Keith. Keith turned to Daisy and said, “Grrl.”

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

“Grrl.” Said Keith.

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

“Grrl?” Asked Keith.

“Woof.” Said Daisy nodding her head.

Keith stood up. “Thank you all. I’ll file my report with the head office. We’ll know how everything went in the morning.”

“What happened?” Asked Hudson.

“I cannot say.” Said Keith. “You’ll have to wait for morning like everyone else.” Keith lifted the bowl to his mouth and lapped up some of the water. Then with a loud crunch he bit one of the ice cubes in half. “Thank you for the water. The ice was particularly welcome. Cold water is more refreshing.”

“You’re welcome.” Said Molly. “Daisy likes ice in her water so I thought you might like some too.”

“I also liked the cheese cubes.” Said Keith. “I appreciate the different varieties.”

“I wasn’t sure if you liked a certain one. This way you had choices.” Said Hudson.

“Thank you.” Said Keith. “Usually all I get is American, which is nice, but variety is good too.”

Keith smiled at the children and helped each of them back into bed and tucked them under the covers. He then helped Stephen and Amelia under the blankets. Lastly Daisy jumped up on the bed. Daisy walked up to Hudson and Molly. She licked each one on the nose. Then she walked in a small circle, being careful not to step on Amelia or Stephen. When she finished, Daisy lay down and rested her head on her paws.

Keith walked over and slid the window open. “Good night.” Said Keith. He then climbed out the window, shut, and locked it behind him.

As the friends lay in bed gently drifting off to sleep Hudson asked. “Stephen?”

“Yes.” Said Stephen.

“You could understand what they said?” Asked Hudson.

“Yes.” Said Stephen.

“Can you tell us?” Asked Molly.

“No.” Said Stephen.

“It’s not allowed under the accords.” Said Amelia. “You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Daisy yawned. Soon the rest of them yawned and slowly fell asleep one by one.

*  *  *

The next morning the friends woke up and found that something had happened in the night. The bowl that had been filled with water for Keith the night before was now full of candy, treats, and a squeaky dog bone.

“What’s all of that?” Asked Hudson.

“Where did it come from?” Asked Molly.

“Hooray.” Said Amelia, her wings sparking in a rainbow pattern.

“Good show.” Said Stephen tossing his pillow in the air.

“Woof.” Said Daisy.

“What happened?” Asked Molly.

“The peace continues.” Said Amelia.

“How do you know?” Asked Hudson.

“Daisy’s still here.” Said Stephen. “Plus, you’ve been rewarded for your good treatment and loving care for Daisy.”

“That’s what the bowl of things is for.” Said Amelia.

“The candy and treats for you.” Said Stephen.

“Woof.” Said Daisy taking the squeaky toy from the bowl and happily chomping down on it.

“That’s right.” Said Stephen.

“What do you mean our treatment of Daisy?” Asked Hudson.

“You take care of her.” Said Amelia.

“You feed her, walk her, clean up after her, and play with her.” Said Stephen.

“Squeak.” Barked Daisy, her new toy still in her mouth.

Stephen smiled. “That’s right. She said it’s because you love each other.”

“Every pet and child that love one another, plays together, and treats each other well is how the peace is maintained.” Said Amelia.

“As long as people take care of their pets, love them, play with them, and help them, the world remains at peace.” Said Stephen.

Molly and Hudson hugged Daisy. Daisy dropped her new toy and gave each child a big lick on their faces.

After breakfast, all of them went outside to play with Daisy’s new toy. To once again keep the peace.

Happy Holidays to everyone. May the Christmas Werewolves find you joyous. Let there be peace on Earth and good will to man and beast.

End

Thank you for reading.

If you're interested in more Christmas stories you can find them at the following links.

Santa's Wish

A Dream for Christmas

The Christmas Visit