Skip to main content

Melomel, Malifaux, and Melee




Malifaux Dead Rider

So, it has been a while. Since we last saw each other, I was living in Indiana. Since then, we have moved to North Carolina and started a whole new mix of adventures. For starters we found the love of war gaming miniatures. It was something I was always enamored with, but never had the money as a kid to play. Now, I have found a new love of it and the money to spend on something such as this. It really is the closest thing to drugs I will get to these days.




My local group plays games at Atomic Empire in Durham, North Carolina. We just started a campaign series which gave me the opportunity to play a new faction. I started with Gremlins which has been a total blast, but for a new series, it demanded a challenge. Thus I turned to the second faction I had been interested in which was Resurrectionist. Hello? Zombies for the win right?

The first three games I played, I didn't do so well. It is a new crew and I am learning the mechanics of the different style of play. Imagine it more like a large chess board where every piece has a different move mechanic and attack style. Each game you play is different with a different strategy and set of schemes to play.  Needless to say, it is the cause of my addiction to miniatures. I even have a new love of painting miniatures. When I started, I absolutely hated painting. Now, it is such fun and a great stress relief.


My other sport I am training for is Armored Combat. This is where you where a full set of armor and go at each other full bore. What better sport to combine my love of fighting, OCR, running, and power lifting? Hello ACL/ITOC/HMB/BOTN! My local group the Durham Dragons gets together and trains weekly at Tactical Kung Fu and MMA. It is also the school I teach fighting and Kung Fu. I also might start teaching Sun Do Won Tae Kwon Do in the very near future. I will keep you posted.


This past weekend, Jennifer and I attended the wedding of her College roommate Katherine. It was a beautiful wedding and a much needed getaway for Jennifer and I. One of our gifts to Katherin and Patrick was some of my Melomel (blueberry mead) for the honeymoon. It is supposed to be the traditional drink for new couples to aid in marital bliss. Congratulations to Katherine and Patrick. I hope that you have a long, prosperous, and fulfilled lives together!

So, next week we head to Indiana for visiting family and friends and then finish the week at the Indianapolis Spartan Sprint. Too much fun to be had in one week? Well, let's try!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Post Battle of Nations 2017 thoughts

getting a picture from one of the ladies who made the Team USA taberds So I finally did it. I trained hard and succeeded in joining my fellow knights on the battlefield of Barcelona for Team USA's 21 man team. I lost seventeen pounds, hit new strength personal records, and I also had plenty of cardio to fight well. It was an honor to join these great men and women on the field to test our mettle against those who would stand against us. We won and lost on our own merits. We stood side by side and faced the challenges together. We broke bread, we made new friends. This is one experience and memories I will keep as a treasure and look fondly upon it as the first of what I hope to be many more campaigns. Below, I wish to dedicate my thoughts and time to communicate some of the lessons learned to travel abroad. I hope to reflect upon this so that I combine the thoughts of those who have shared many of these lessons before my writing this. Flight Mistakes When I purchased

Importance of Conditioning and Recovering for Medieval Combat

So, you are still sticking with this 'medieval fighting' thing? Well, good! But realize that the only easy day was yesterday whippersnapper and it is time to step up your game. You cannot expect to perform better just because you bought armor and you get together a few times a month to hit each other. More importantly, you have to take a careful look at what you suck at and OWN THAT SHIT. We all have things that we are great at. Rarely in the gym do I see guys or gals focusing on weaknesses. It is always focusing on what you are comfortable with. Runners will run, lifters will lift weights, yogi's will yoga, and then you have those weird super-set guys who run around with weighted vests, screaming, and doing high reps of everything in this weird cycle of whatever. One thing that I am sure most people fall short in is in Conditioning and Recovery. Conditioning is basically getting your body physically fit with a regimen of exercises. What does that mean for us? Well,

International Tournament of Chivalry Armored Combat Event in Springfield, IL

parade of fighters The International Tournament of Chivalry II was held in Springfield, IL on October 1st, 2016. I have been working really hard to prepare myself for this upcoming international tournament. Fighters came from Russia, Austria, Mexico, Canada, and all over the US to fight in singles, and 5 on 5 melee matches. I joined the Palmetto Knights and fought for the Rhinos. Hey Ma', I am a Rhino! This was my first experience fighting at this level and it was a true eye opener. Having been a successful heavy weight kickboxer, and martial arts instructor, I am used to fighting and full contact. However, putting on full armor, add weapons, and take away a lot of your awareness due to limited visibility, and all that training and experience doesn't adequately translate. I will say that I am hugely thankful for the armor I chose to wear and made over the given months to fight this weekend. I came away 'fairly' damage free. I have a few pretty bruises, a