SF&F Literati Announce Spring Selections

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
is the selection for discussion on February 27, 2017.

Be ready to join the discussion: 
Plan ahead: Order yours now, so you can read them before the discussion dates. Please note that the Johnson County Library normally make sure copies of the selections are available, too.

The SF&F Literati group normally meets on the fourth Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. on the second floor of the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS. 

For more information and notes on past book discussions, please visit the group's Facebook Page. 

The Selections: 
Feb 27: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 

March 27: Mr. Adam by Pat Frank

April 24: Updraft by Fran Wilde 

IMAGE: Many thanks to Trailer Addict for the cover image.

Great Movies You Missed This Year: 2016 Edition

Date: January 28, 2017 (This weekend!)
Time: 4:50pm
Location: NEWLY REMODELED! David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, upgraded seating for about 11 people without crowding, and new flooring!
Captain Laser: David S.
Food: Potluck
Costume: Casual

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Captain America: Civil War

(2016, 147 minutes) Directed by: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Deadpool

(2016, 108 minutes) Directed by: Tim Miller

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Brianna Hildebrand

A fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Not Your Parents' Board Games: Profiles of Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride

Not Your Parents’ Board Games

Part Four: Game Profiles of Carcassonne and Ticket To Ride

By David Means 
Editor's note: In this post, David Means profiles two very popular board games, Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride. 

In January 2016, KaCSFFS member and notable board game collector David Means gave a presentation to the club about his collection. It was so interesting, I asked for permission to reprint it as a series of posts on this blog. He graciously agreed, and supplied me with his script. I have added the illustrations, hyperlinks, embedded videos, etc. 

The first two posts in this series covered more general topics that cover many types of games. They were published on June 4, 2016, and June 18, 2016, and were well-received. The third, published on December 29, 2016, initiated a series of Game Profiles with a more in-depth view of Catan/The Settlers of Catan. We hope you will continue to enjoy this series! --Jan S. Gephardt 

Carcassonne
Carcassonne (named after the Medieval city famed for its walls) is probably the best known of the tile-laying games. 

It plays almost like a jigsaw puzzle -- when a tile is drawn, the player must place it adjacent to another tile, and make sure the features all match: city to city, road to road, and so forth. 

Examples of Carcassonne tiles

Players accumulate points as the game progresses, and it’s easy to see who is ahead at any particular point. Carcassonne also has four variants and over thirty expansions. 

Recall that Carcassonne is the game that originated Meeples.

Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride employs card drafting and route building as its two major mechanics, and is a very popular game. 

There are twelve different variants to the base game, two official expansions, and over eighty fan-designed expansions to the base and variant versions. 

These are not all of the variants, but they give an idea.

The 10th Anniversary edition of Ticket to Ride featured specially designed railroad cars in tins.

Play consists of collecting cards of a particular color that match the color of the railroad route you wish to claim, then turning the cards in to claim the route, and scoring points for the length of the route. 

Train Cards: you must turn them in, to build routes.

Here are some of the Destination Cards one might draw.

You also score hidden bonus points for completing routes shown on your Destination Tickets.

 

IMAGES: 
FOR CARCASSONNE: 
I found the photo of the spread-out Carcassonne game in a review by Jeff Dougan on the Chambanamoms site. They credited "Boardgamegeek user Mecandes," but gave no link. The illustration of the tiles is from Ultra Carcassone. Thanks to "Stella May I" and her article about the game for the photo of the Meeples. Many thanks to Bob Mills on You Tube for the "How to Play Carcassonne" video.
FOR TICKET TO RIDE: 
Many thanks to the Indiana Recreational Sports Association (via Gawker) for the photo of the original game. The illustration showing six of the variants is from a post that describes them on Games Paradise Online. The photo of the 10th Anniversary tins of special rail cars is from a post by u/gn0xious on a Reddit discussion board about "Boardgames going for 'Heirloom' quality." Thanks to Game Head for the photo of the Train Cards (from an article on strategy for the game). The image of the Destination Cards is from Tom'S Epic Gaming review. Many thanks to Mark Barros on You Tube for the video on how to play Ticket to Ride.

Djenn, ghuls, and a struggle for power

SF&F Literati meet 1/23/17

The SF&F Literati selection brings desert warmth to the January selection 

Title: Throne of the Crescent Moon

Author: Saladin Ahmed

Available from: Barnes & Noble and other fine booksellers; library copies are also available.

Meeting: Kansas City SF&F Literati

When: 7:00 p.m.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Where: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor

11323 W. 95^th Street 

Overland Park, KS 66214

Barnes & Noble Overview: 

From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year's most anticipated fantasy debuts: THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron- fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings.

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, "the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat," just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame's family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter's path.

Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla's young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed's sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.

Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the near- mythical power of the lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man's title. She lives only to avenge her father's death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father's killer. Until she meets Raseed.

When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince's brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time-and struggle against their own misgivings-to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

IMAGE: the cover image for Throne of the Crescent Moon is courtesy of Goodreads. The monster illustration is by Adri Fitri, posted by Saladin Ahmed on Twitter.

Chili cookoff and SF/F TV and Movies at January meeting 1/21/17

What: January KaCSFFS Meeting
When: January 21, 2017, 6:00-9:30 p.m.
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Food Theme: Annual Chili Cookoff!
Program: SF and Fantasy TV and Movies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, led by Carol Doms and Ken Keller

Warm up the winter night with our Annual Chili Cookoff
Every winter in recent years, KaXFEN have fired up our slow-cookers, baked up some cornbread, and brought in our favorite toppings and sides for the Annual KaCSFFS Chili Cook-off. Join the fun and the deliciousness! 

Please bring your own preferred choice to share: Chili, sides, cornbread, or toppings.

Get a preview of SF&F TV and movies to come! 
Join the discussion with Ken Keller and Carol Doms, as they survey some of the upcoming offerings among science fiction and fantasy movies and TV. What favorites are coming back? What promising new shows are in the pipeline for 2017? This was such a well-received feature in 2016 we've asked our favorite media mavens back to discuss this year's crop of picks and pans.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Wikipedia for the photo of the bowl of chili, and to the "Back to the Future" pinboard on Pinterest, for the retro-future viewer image.

Laser Rangers 2017 January Meeting

Great Movies You Missed This Year: 2016 Edition

Date: December 10, 2016 January 14, 2017 POSTPONED till January 28, 2017
Time: 4:50pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Who Cares
Food: Regular
Costume: Casual

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Captain America: Civil War

(2016, 147 minutes) Directed by: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Deadpool

(2016, 108 minutes) Directed by: Tim Miller

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Brianna Hildebrand

A fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Do you see it?

Beware! It's Fannish Friday . . .  

IMAGE: Many thanks to Artistic Shark on Pinterest.