Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Hosting a Minecraft Birthday Party

My son, like practically everyone in his school, is a huge Minecraft fan. So naturally when I asked him what kind of theme he would like for his party, he did not hesitate saying the world of zombies, pick-axes, and lapis lazuli. Having successfully done a princess-themed party for my daughter last year, I thought I would try my hand at a Minecraft party (she is also a big Minecraft fan).

It is a whole lot cheaper to avoid buying all the Minecraft-licensed stuff and, fortunately, you can do a lot with only a little, as I describe below.

For invitations, I downloaded some Minecraft fonts and fired up Microsoft Word to create the invitations. Minecrafter V3 and Minecratia were the two I used.

For the cake, I went to my local Publix (which makes the best birthday cakes I've ever had), and had them make a layered chocolate and vanilla cake with white buttercream frosting and red squares of varying sizes on top. This is to make it look like the cake that appears in the game itself.


For an extra Minecraftian sugar kick, I went I to a candy store and bought goodies that looked like Minecraft objects. I used the placards from the party printables site I used for the Bingo game (see below). This was a big hit with the kids! Of course we had to have an adult serve out the candy - otherwise it would have been like a pack of wolverines fighting over a fresh kill!

Now for the best part - the activities!

We are having his party in a private room at a local pizza place, so the activities are going to have to need a small footprint and not be messy. Here is what I have come up with:

Minecraft Tile Puzzle Craft


It is tough coming up with an easy, low cost crafting activity - but I was inspired by a recent trip to a Lego event where you assembled a small 2" by 2" square and added it to a specific location on a larger board, which ultimately created a mosaic of a larger picture.

Legos are expensive, but thanks to the work of this site that has color-by-number Minecraft pictures, you can do your own with just a little work!

You will need the following materials:
  • Hard copies of one or more color-by-number pictures
  • White card stock
  • Foam board (found under school supplies at your local retail store)
  • Glue stick
  • Box cutter / razor knife
  • Colored Sharpies
First print out a few of the color by number pictures on white cardstock paper. Then use the glue stick to coat the back of it as completely as possible. Using cardstock prevents the paper from getting wrinkles and will be easier to color on. 

Glue the picture to the foam board and then cut the grid into squares using the box cutter. I've found 5x5 squares work best. Be sure to keep up with the key so you know what color goes with which number!

When you have a drawing cut out, write down a sequential number order on the back side. If you are doing more than one picture, be sure to use different colored Sharpies! You can also color the side of the foam board for extra help in keeping the pieces together. 

The great thing about this activity is that you can have many kids working together to put the picture together without having to take turns or wait on a particular person. This is a great first activity so people that arrive late can still participate without holding up the party. It is also good for younger siblings who may be tagging along to the party.

Gravel Pit Explorer (a Jenga game variant)


This game is the one I am most looking forward to trying out, since this is my own idea. If you have ever played Minecraft, you know that you have to watch out for gravel blocks. Unlike all the other non-liquid blocks, they will always fall to the ground if whatever is beneath them is removed. This can be very dangerous if you are digging over your head!

The premise of the game is that each player wants to find and extract the most valuable ore without causing the surrounding gravel to collapse. To create the game, you need the following materials:
  • 1 Jenga game
  • Avery address labels 5160/8160 (30 per sheet, 1" x 2 5/8")
  • This template
  • Scissors
Making this variant is pretty easy. All you do is print off the template on the Avery address labels, cut out the squares (you may need to trim them up a bit) and stick them in the center of each Jenga block. Note that there are more stickers than blocks, so you can balance out how much you want of each type. Here is how I weighted the distribution:

16 Cobblestone
11 Coal
9 Iron
7 Redstone
5 Gold
3 Lapis Lazuli
2 Diamond
1 Emerald

You can either assign a point value to the ore types or you can play more loosely. What is neat about the game is that as it progresses, you will begin to see ore before having to move pieces. (You will want to mix up the blocks before each game and keep people from looking during set up!) Then the challenge becomes whether to go for it or take a chance in picking an unknown block.

The game ends when the Jenga tower falls. If you want, you can punish the one who causes the tower to fall by having him or her lose one of the most valuable ore claimed during the game.

Creeper Knock-Down


A classic game with a Minecraft theme. Knock down the creepers using a ball or another ranged weapon!

You will need the following materials:

  • 6-12 green plastic cups
  • Black Sharpie
  • Toy bow & arrow (or a wiffle ball)
This is pretty simple. Just draw creeper faces on the cups! You are good to go. 

Pin the Pixelated Tail on the Pig



Another classic game - Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but with Minecraft style! Instead of a donkey, you will make a Minecraft pig. For added fun, instead of a blindfold, you can use the Minecraft masks you can buy at Target and tape up the eye holes so there is no peeking.

You will need the following materials:
Pink, white, and black construction paper (lots of pink)
  • Poster board (if you don't want to hang it directly on the wall)
  • Minecraft 3-D Mask (or a regular blindfold...but not as much fun!)
  • Masking tape for the pig tail game pieces
Again, this is pretty self-explanatory. One tip though is to have each kid put his or her name on the tail so you can keep up with who wins!

Minecraft Bingo



This one is as simple as you can get, thanks to the great work of Jillian over at CatchMyParty.com. Just print off this template and get a couple bags of Skittles or M&Ms for board pieces. 

Just read off the numbers/pictures randomly. Stress to the kids that they can't eat their markers until they get a Bingo.  The kids can eat them after the game! 

I'm not big on having a highly competitive game at a birthday party so having the reward for getting a Bingo to be able to eat their pieces makes it fun because everyone wins and the ones that are done still sit quietly as they eat their candy. This worked really well at our party!

Well, that's all I've got. I hope this is helpful to you. The party was a big success and everyone had fun. All that and I saved quite a few bucks in the process!



RESOURCES

Here are links to the resources I will be using:

Minecraft Fonts
http://textcraft.net/download-fonts.php

Minecraft Bingo Game
http://catchmyparty.com/blog/free-printable-minecraft-bingo-game

Gravel Pit Explorer Tiles Template





Sunday, March 22, 2015

Questions for Aftermath

The second Death Star has been destroyed. Rumors are flying that the Emperor and his enforcer, Darth Vader, are dead. A new government is forming to replace the Empire. But the galaxy is a big place, and the fallout of this cataclysm will affect different worlds in different ways. Does everyone accept the fall of Imperial rule? Has everyone even heard the life-altering news? What rushes in to fill the vacuum the Empire has left? And who will try to stop them? 

Thus is the premise of the next novel in the New Canon of Star Wars - Aftermath by Chuck Wendig. News broke on this over at starwars.com. The novel is part of the 20 book blitzkrieg called Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is a prelude to Episode VII film release.

I'm keenly interested in reading this novel when it is released in September. I hope this will wipe the Expanded Universe clean of the novel Truce at Bakura. I could only get fifty pages into that novel before I was so turned off by it that I gave up. I hope the Ssi-Ruuk and their entenchment technology winks out of existence like the crack in space-time in a Doctor Who episode!

However I wonder how much latitude they will be able to take with the concept that many did not know the significance of the Battle of Endor. The quote above asks if everyone has even heard of the fall of Imperial rule. Remember that with the special edition release of Return of the Jedi we had a montage of locations where crowds had gathered to celebrate the victory, namely Coruscant, Cloud City, and Naboo. So we know that word spread pretty far and wide. It will be interesting to see how Wendig and the Lucasfilm Story Group handles this part of the canon.

I am reminded about the debate among historians about how much support the rebels/patriots had during the American Revolution. A frequently cited letter written by John Adams suggested that there were plenty of people who remained loyal to the British Empire. Some say as many as a a third of the country were opposed to the revolution.

While we will never know the exact figures, this quote by Adams does ring true: "Divided we ever have been, and ever must be." If this statement echoes into the galaxy far, far away, I think we are in for many interesting stories!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Fate of Howard Stark

I am watching the Winter Soldier of cable right now (channel surfing) and I just paused the movie on a newspaper clipping describing Howard Stark's death. This image is part of the montage when Cap and Black Widow discover the antique AI computer.

The newspaper is dated Friday, December 17, 1991 and has a quote from Obadiah Stane saying he didn't know what caused the crash. We also learn that Howard's wife's name is Maria. 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

My Star Wars Bracket

I have never been a huge basketball fan, but I always enjoy filling out a bracket for the NCAA tournament. With Star Wars fandom building to a fevered pitch with the release of The Force Awakens this December, I am more actively watching who will be the This Is Madness tournament over at starwars.com!

But since I missed the deadline to submit a bracket on Wookieepedia (darn it!), I thought I would write it up here on my blog.

I missed out on the Play In round, but here were the match-ups:

REBELS
Wedge Antilles, Threepio, Admiral Ackbar, Sabine Wren - WINNER: Sabine

JEDI
Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, Luke Skywalker, Ezra Bridger - WINNER: Ahsoka

EMPIRE / SEPARATISTS
Admiral Piett, General Veers, Nute Gunray, Agent Kallus - WINNER: Piett

BOUNTY HUNTERS
Cad Bane, IG-88, Asajj Ventress, 4-LOM - WINNER: Ventress


Here are my picks for the Rule of Thirty-Two and Sixteen Strikes Back brackets:

REBELS
1 Artoo v 4 Sabine - WINNER: Artoo   [Artoo 75%]
2 Leia v 3 Hera - WINNER: Leia   [Leia 72%]
R2-D2 v Leia - WINNER: R2-D2   [Artoo 57%]

I'm curious what kind of showing the Rebels characters will have. They are so new to the galaxy, I can't imagine them upsetting Artoo or Leia. I think Artoo will have the sentimental attachment of people to vote him through. REVIEW: I nailed this bracket at least. It is hard to beat a character that has been in every Star Wars movie...at least to date!

JEDI
1 Obi-Wan v 4 Ahsoka Tano - WINNER: Obi-Wan   [Obi-Wan60%]
2 Yoda v 3 Qui-Gon - WINNER: Yoda   [Yoda 69%]
Obi-Wan v Yoda - WINNER: Yoda   [Obi-Wan 52%]

This is the most interesting bracket. I think Yoda will trounce Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan may struggle against Ahsoka. Still, I think it will still be a showdown with the past two winners and Yoda being the victor. REVIEW: Alas, Ahsoka...you were able to top Luke but Obi-Wan proved to be too strong. But you had the strongest showing of any non-film character. Well done! It is hard to beat one of the few characters who has been in every Star Wars movie and many Clone Wars episodes! Obi-Wan ekes out a win over Yoda! I knew it would be close, but I guessed wrong.

SCOUNDRELS

1 Chewie v 4 Zeb - WINNER: Chewie   [Chewie 85%]
2 Han v 3 Lando - WINNER: Han   [Han 86%]
Han v Chewie - WINNER: Han   [Han 69%]

Another Rebels character going up against Star Wars royalty. No way Zeb can pull this upset. Han should pull past Lando, even if he is a slimy, no-good swindler. Han against Chewie?! I have to give it to Han. REVIEW: Han destroyed Lando. I think this bodes well for his chances throughout this tournament! No love for the new "kid" on the block - Zeb. But this was hardly an even match-up! Nailed this bracket too, but this wasn't really hard to pick.

REPUBLIC

1 Padme v 4 Jar Jar - WINNER: Padme   [Jar Jar 62%]
2 Rex v 3 Gregor - WINNER: Rex   [Rex 75%]
Padme v Rex  - WINNER:Rex   [Rex 52%]

Yeesh. My faith in fandom will be confirmed if Rex emerges victorious from this bracket! REVIEW: Jar Jar beats Padme?! Bwah-hah-hah! I love it! Star Wars fans are the best. Rex squeeks by Jar Jar to advance. Phew! That was close. My bracket Republic bracket is saved!

EMPIRE/SEPARATISTS

1 Tarkin v 4 Piett - WINNER: Tarkin   [Tarkin 81%]
2 Grievous v 3 Inquisitor - WINNER: Grievous   [Grievous 66%]
Tarkin v Grievous - WINNER: Tarkin   [Tarkin 59%]

Tarkin is just too skilled and ruthless for any of these to oppose him. REVIEW: I am a little bit surprised at the turn out for the Inquisitor. So far the strongest showing of a Rebels character in the tournament. Of course, match-ups are everything! Tarkin emerges victorious as expected.

BOUNTY HUNTERS

1 Boba Fett v Asajj Ventress - WINNER: Boba Fett   [Boba 66%]
2 Jango Fett v 3 Greedo - WINNER: Jango Fett   [Jango 83%]
Boba vs Jango  - WINNER: Boba   [Boba 53%]

I really want Asajj to win. I am just burned out on the whol Mandalore/Fett thing. But you have to recognize brand awareness and Boba has it. Jango should fry poor Greedo without a problem. Father versus "son"? I'll choose the son. REVIEW: *Yawn*. Predictable and not terribly interesting.

SITH

1 Darth Vader v 4 Count Dooku - WINNER: Vader   [Vader 88%]
2 Emperor Palpatine v 3 Darth Maul - WINNER: Maul   [Maul 51%]
Vader v Maul  - WINNER: Vader   [Vader 75%]

This bracket is actually a bit tricky! The Maul-Emperor match-up could be close. But, regardless, Vader will come out of the Sith bracket on top. REVIEW: Maul ekes out a win over his former master! I was not expecting it to be that close. Vader decapitates Dooku a second time....well first time as Vader...last time he was Anakin...although he was a little Vader...you get the picture. Vader to Maul: "You don't know the POWER of the Dark Side!"

UNDERWORLD

1 Jabba v 4 Bib Fortuna - WINNER: Jabba   [Jabba 56%]
2 Pre Vizsla v 3 Hondo Ohnaka - WINNER: Hondo   [Pre Vizsla 56%]
Jabba v Hondo - WINNER: Jabba   [Jabba 67%]

Jabba versus his underling? Pleease. Pre Vizsla versus Hondo is more interesting. I really don't like Pre Vizsla as a character very much whereas Hondo is a lot of fun. I hope he makes it into Rebels? Either way, Jabba owns the Underworld bracket. REVIEW: I'm actually surprised that Jabba beat Bib by only six percent. That is a strong showing for a sychophant! Pre Vizsla wins because he is a Mando...*groan*. Hondo is such a better character. Jabba made short work of him.

32 & 16 WRAP UP: I am in very good shape so far. I lost Yoda for Duel of the Eights, but all my other picks are still viable. Jar Jar over Padme was my biggest surprise. I wonder with him being subject to 15 years of fandom hatred that people are coming around to liking him. Mandos are still a powerful draw for fans but I don't think anyone can overcome Jabba in the Underworld bracket.

Now we move on to the Duel of the Eights:

Artoo v Yoda - WINNER: Artoo  [Obi-Wan 60%]

Goodness this is a hard one. I am going with who I *hope* will win, but Yoda is a previous champion. Maybe the fans will want a new winner this year? REVIEW: With Obi-Wan beating Yoda in the previous round, I missed out on this one. Obi-Wan beats Artoo?! Nooooooooo! He may not recall owning a droid, but he owned this match-up.

Han v Rex - WINNER: Han   [Han 52%]

I love Captain Rex, but Han makes even a hardened princess swoon. I'll bet he will do the same with the voters. REVIEW: Wow this was *much* closer than I expected. Not bad for a clone!

Tarkin v Boba - WINNER: Boba   [Boba 59%]

I want Tarkin to win, but I think the Boba-bunch will marshall the votes to push him through. REVIEW: Fett is cruising in his 'vette to the Fate of the Four.

Vader v Jabba - WINNER: Vader   [Vader 54%]

Yeah, I don't think this will be that close. REVIEW: Whoa. Jabba almost pulled off an upset!

Now for the Fate of the Four:

Artoo v Han - WINNER: Han   [Obi-Wan 50%]

Man this is getting really hard now! As much as I want Artoo to win it all, I think everyone is cheering for Han. We know he has a prominent role in The Force Awakens and Harrison Ford managed to be a real-life hero when he safely landed his stalled airplane on a golf course in the heavily populated area around the Santa Monica airport. Han will win this.  REVIEW: Man! You can't get any closer than this! I demand a recount!

Boba v Vader - WINNER: Vader   [Vader 6%]

Brand names can only take you so far. Vader will be unleashed and Boba will be bantha poo doo.  REVIEW: This went as I expected.

The Championship Match: 

Han v Vader

Wow what a championship this will be! I can see this going either way. But I'll side with the light side of the Force....

2015 CHAMPION
HAN SOLO!
   [DARTH VADER 57%]

REVIEW: We have a new champion! I am left to wonder what would happen if it was Han versus Vader. That would have been very interesting. I suspect the desire to not have a repeat winner weighed on the voters.


Rebels

Sabine over Wedge, Threepio, Ackbar
Sabine loses to Artoo (25% vote) 1st round

Hera loses to Leia (28% vote) 1st round

Zeb loses to Chewie (15% vote) 1st round

Inquisitor loses to Grievous (34%) 1st round

Kanan loses to Ahsoka play-in
Ezra loses to Ahsoka play-in
Kallus loses to Piett play-in


THIRTY TWO
34 - Inquisitor (Grevious)
28 - Hera (Leia)
25 - Sabine (Artoo) defeats Wedge, Threepio, Ackbar in Play-In
15 - Zeb (Chewie)
0 - Kanan (Ahsoka)
0 - Ezra (Ahsoka)
0 - Kallus (Piett)







Clone Wars

Ahsoka over Kanan, Luke, Ezra
Ahsoka loses to Obi-Wan (40% vote) 1st round

Rex over Gregor (75%)
Rex over Jar Jar (52%)
Rex loses to Han (48%) 3rd round (Duel of Eights)

Ventress over Cad Bane, IG-88, 4-LOM
Ventress loses to Boba Fett (34%) 1st round

Pre Vizsla over Hondo Ohnaka (56%)
Pre Vizsla loses to Jabba (33%) 2nd round

Hondo Ohnaka loses to Pre Vizsla (44%)

Gregor losts to Rex (25%) 1st round

Cad Bane loses to Ventress play in


DUEL OF EIGHTS
48 - Rex (Han), defeats Gregor (75%) and Jar Jar (52%)

SIXTEEN
33 - Pre Vizsla (Jabba), defeats Hondo Ohnaka (56%)

THIRTY TWO
44 - Hondo (Pre Vizsla)
40 - Ahsoka (Obi-Wan), defeats Kanan, Luke, Ezra in Play-In
34 - Ventress (Boba Fett), defeats Cad Bane, IG-88, 4-LOM in Play-In
25 - Gregor (Rex)
xx - Cad Bane (Ventress)



Monday, March 16, 2015

Star Wars Canon Tracker

I am going to *attempt* to stay up with as much of the official Star Wars canon as I can. But I can see it will be overwhelming - especially with the announcement of 20 books the will be the prelude to Episode VII: The Force Awakens!

As of March 16, 2015, here is the list of canonical material (outside of YA novels):

EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE

EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES

*The Clone Wars (TV)
Dark Disciple (N)

EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH

Kanan (C)
Lords of the Sith (N) - before Tarkin
Tarkin (N) - 5 years after III
*A New Dawn (N)
*Rebels (TV)

EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE

Princess Leia (C) - starts immeditately after IV
Star Wars (C)
Darth Vader (C)
Heir to the Jedi (N)

EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

EPISODE VI - RETURN OF THE JEDI

Aftermath (N)
Journey to the Force Awakens (C)
Journey - C3PO (C)

EPISODE VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS

So this is the official timeline for grown ups. I am treating the youth fiction as a wholly separate thing, which perhaps is not a good idea? Anyway, here are YA novels that are out or announced and a rough timeline, published by Disney-Lucasfilm Books. Thank you Wookiepedia! Note: I am excluding the books that are novelizations of Rebels episodes or the films.

JUNIOR NOVELS

III - ROTS

*Ezra's Gamble
Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks
Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice (July 2015)
Servants of the Empire: #4 Untitled (October 2015)

IV - ANH

Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo Adventure (September 2015)
The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure (September 2015)

V - ESB

Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure (September 2015)

VI - ROTJ

Lost Stars (September 2015)

VII - TFA

* - indicates books I have read or shows I have watched

The comics will be a little easier to keep up with since they are quick reads. I picked up all the currently available issues earlier today. I have already read A New Dawn, which was a very entertaining book and a good prelude to the first season of Rebels. I am now officially two novels behind schedule and more is on the way. Sheesh.

I sure hope Lucasfilm comes up with a good resource to keep track of the official canon and the official timeline. It is already getting confusing and the first of the new films isn't even out yet!

COMING SOON
Novel - Lords of the Sith (4/28/15)
Novel - Dark Disciple (7/7/15)
Comic - Kanan (starting in April)
Comic - Star Wars 4, Vader 3, Leia 2