Laser Rangers 2018 June Meeting

We’re All Animals at Heart

Date: June 30, 2018
Time: 4:15pm
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: Ty G.
Food: Nuts & Berries
Costume: ?



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

Zootopia

(2016, 108 minutes) Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Shakira

In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







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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.
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Feature Presentation!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

(2011, 110 minutes) Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Andy Serkis

A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.-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!

The price of a perfect world

Kansas City SF&F Literati to meet!
Date: Monday, June 25, 2018
Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Schusterman
Available from: Barnes & Noble and other fine booksellers.
Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2nd Floor, 11323 W. 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214
NOTE: ALL ARE WELCOME to meetings, even if you haven't read the book. 

Publisher's plot overview:
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystology.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

Would you believe there's a book trailer?


IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon for the cover image, and to Neal Schusterman via YouTube for the book trailer.

Annual Picnic This Saturday!

What: Annual KaCSFFS Picnic
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO 64111
When: Saturday, June 16, 2018
6:00 - Setup
7:00 - Program: KantCon Presentation 
Please bring Tabletop Games to share informally afterward - playing time up to 60 minutes.
Food Theme: Picnic Food! Please bring Side dishes, Salads, or Dessert to share!

Our Annual Picnic
The KaCSFFS Picnic is traditionally held in June, because it's the month after ConQuesT.

We wanted to just relax and eat all the ConSuite leftovers, plus it often was a little cooler in June than July or August: back when the club was almost exclusively made up of 20- and 30-somethings, we'd reserve a pavilion or shelter in a local park for this event.

One of the last outdoors-only photos of a KaCSFFS Picni, held
in So-Ko-Par Park, Lenexa, KS, in 2006.

Now we've made different arrangements for most ConSuite leftovers, and some of our members have health or mobility issues, so we've moved it to an indoor-outdoor event. We still try to make it fun.

KaCSFFS provides burgers (including Veggie-burgers), hotdogs, buns, condiments & tableware. Please bring Side dishes, Salads, or Dessert to share!

Please also bring Tabletop Games to share informally afterward - playing time up to 60 minutes. Lawn games also are welcome, but the lawn at the Writers Place faces west, and the forecast is for temperatures in the 90s, so there may not be as many takers for those.

KantCon Presentation
We are pleased to host a group of the organizers of KantCon, set for July 13-15, 2018, who will present information about their tabletop game convention.

Many KaXFEN love tabletop games. Our meetings frequently have been enlivened by tabletop games brought by members to share with other members, and this blog has posted an ongoing series, "Not Your Parents' Board Games."

A photo from KantCon 2017.

KantCon's website tells us that "KantCon is a gaming convention for tabletop hobby gamers in the Kansas City area, created by tabletop hobby gamers in the Kansas City area. The only available gaming conventions and large gatherings of gamers in the Kansas City area are limited to the beginning of the year, and the end of the year, in March and November, respectively.

"As most gamers are increasingly busy, in school, or have children in school, there is a void of a centralized gaming convention in the summer months in Kansas City. KantCon will fill that void with three days of tabletop fun in the form of tabletop role-playing games, card games, board games, and miniatures games."

More photos from recent KantCons.

IMAGES: The "KaCSFFS Picnic" banner design is from Jan S. Gephardt, who also took the photo of members Jim Murray and Margene Bahm at the Writers Place during the 2015 picnic. The 2006-in-the-park photo is by Tracy Majkol, and is used with permission. We also are grateful to KantCon's Gallery for the photos from several past KantCons, used here with their permission! The KantCon Dragon logo is from their "About Us" page. Many, many thanks!