Art - One last post about blood.

I'm pleased to report that I actually got a vote for my critter on COW #34. Frankly I'm amazed, because even though I'm reasonably happy with how mine turned out, I won't deny that there are others in the competition that are way cooler both in terms of design and execution. There are some votes for some others that I'm unimpressed with, though, so maybe there's just no accounting for taste.

I voted for VegasMike, because his entry has a cool design that was also drawn really well...and his entry has actual blood in it. I'm amazed by the number of entries for "Blood Splatter Carnage" that have no blood in them. The piece currently set to win (14 votes compared to its nearest competitor at 5) has a lot of red, but it's a sort of glowy red that doesn't look like blood, and it sure isn't splattered. I'm baffled. Anyway, official voting thread at:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59639

Voting ends next Monday the 23rd.

Guildpact prerelease

The local prerelease tournament for Guildpact (for Magic: the Gathering) is this Saturday. Originally, I planned to attend, but I'm having a lot of second thought...or perhaps that should be second, third, and fourth thoughts or something. The location moved from a convenient 20-minute drive all the way out to the campus center at U-Mass Boston. With that move, parking changed from free to $6. Or I could take the T for $1.25 and pay $5 parking at the T station. Either way, it's a much longer commute and there are extra fees involved.

I'm thinking I might just wait and play in the regular release tournament at TE, assuming they hold one. The prerelease is really nifty because you 1) Get the cards before they're technically on sale, and 2) Get to play with cards no one has ever seen or heard of. By the time the release tournament rolls around, the spoiler is available on the website and everyone willing to do a little research knows what they might be facing in a game, and has figured out what cards are probably the best ones to use if they get them in a pack. The prerelease for Ravnica was a lot of fun, but I'm not sure it was fun enough to justify the extra money and driving time required to try to recreate the experience.

There's also the issue that I don't get to play Magic much anymore, and I shouldn't spend a lot on the new set, so maybe I should only budget for one tournament anyway. If that's the case, it seems silly to cut the tournament that would be less out of my way.

I don't know. I'm still thinking about it, but I'm leaning towards not going this weekend, and that leaves me a bit disappointed.