17 to 01: Miri

Whoo boy. Derek finally makes me realize that there's definitely...I mean Kirk and Miri...the writers, they...they apparently shipped this. Not cool, writers of Star Trek. Not cool.

Nothing is cool in this episode. :(

TW: Discussion of sexual assault.

Battletech Heaps: Unguided Missiles

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Unguided Missiles

Don't get crazy, I just did to Short Range Missiles what Medium Range Missiles did to Long Range Missiles. 

Long Range Missiles are old school weapons shooting out to 21 hexes for up to 20 damage. At some point, someone decided to make Medium Range Missiles, which shoot out to 15 hexes for up to 40 damage. They're also incredibly inaccurate and aren't great.

Why would I not make a new version of a not-great piece of equipment?

Lie on the floor, drink, & cry mix

17 to 01: What Are Little Girls Made of?

Wow, this episode, so theme. Much relevance. Many social message.

Lots of firsts, in this episode.

TW: More discussion of misogyny

Battletech Heaps: Double-Weave Armor

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Double Weave Armor

Double Weave Armor is a new, bulkier armor that is simply more resistant to damage. Its a somewhat linear improvement of basic armor by Clan scientists. It uses larger energy-absorption weaves to reduce damage caused by weapons. Less efficient space-wise than most armors, the Double Weave Armor still yields a standard mass-protection ratio. At certain ranges, AC shells simply bounce off of it, and it stores and radiates energy weapon heat.

Rules Level: Experimental
Available To: Clan Star Adder
Availability: Battlemechs
Game Rules: Double-Weave Armor reduces damage dealt by attacks according to the range they are fired from and the amount of Double-Weave Armor mounted on the 'mech.

Captain America 3: Civil War Leak

If the early footage is to be believed, they really cheaped out on this one.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is in theaters May 1st.

The Battle for The Hugos

Every year since 1953, the World Science Fiction Society has given out The Hugo Awards for notable works in science fiction. Categories like Best Novel, Best Graphic Story, and Best Dramatic Presentation have been given to Star Trek, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and even The Avengers.

Nominations and winners are voted on by members of the society, who either pay to attend the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) or who buy a membership. A few thousands folks and a handful of rules assign some of the preeminent awards in science fiction to works and writers. 

Like most election systems, The Hugo Awards are not, nor have they ever been, marks of absolute quality. They designate the works which are able to garner the votes of the most WSFS members. They're marks of what's most popular that year among a handful of science fiction fans. Granted, you'd be hard-pressed to argue against the quality of those winners.

Hell, you pick one.

Back in 2011, a writer by the name of Brad Torgerson lost the Hugo for Best Novelette to Charlie Jane Anders, noted female and LGBT+ proponent. The following year, Torgerson teamed up with fellow Hugoless writer Larry Correia to address a problem Torgerson's website characterizes as

"...the Hugo voting skew ideological, as Worldcon and fandom alike have tended to use the Hugos as an affirmative action award: giving Hugos because a writer or artist is (insert underrepresented minority or victim group here) or because a given work features (insert underrepresented minority or victim group here) characters."