Heroscape: Yet Another Love Letter

I know, I know… some of you are tired of reading my reviews that wax eloquently about my deep & abiding love for all things Heroscape. I apologize in advance – this isn’t going to be a substantial departure from my previous missives.

Once again, let me note for those of you who’ve been living under a gaming rock for 21 years that Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish combat game played on a board constructed out of plastic terrain pieces. Since the theme is a battle for dominance in world where the Valkyrie Generals can recruit warriors from multiple times & dimensions, there is a wild mixture of heroes & squads – aliens & Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns, to name a few.

And it’s one of my favorite games…

What exactly did Renegade Game Studios release for Heroscape this spring?

There are six items in this wave (released TODAY, February 24!):

• Rising Tide: Knight Primus Adelbern & Ordo Borealis (Army Expansion)
• Rising Tide: Hellforge Mandukor (Army Expansion)
• Rising Tide: Sonlen & Halushia, Scion of the Wild (Army Expansion)
• The Swamps of Valhalla (Terrain Expansion)
• The Snow Fields of Valhalla (Terrain Expansion)
• Thyraxis Dragoon (Spring 2025 organized play promo figure)

The Rising Tide release has a second wave coming in April 2025 as well.

I’m new to Heroscape. Are these Wave 3 boxes a good way to get started playing?

Much like Wave 2, the Wave 3 army boxes are excellent additions to a Heroscape collection – but by themselves don’t contain enough figures to act as a starter set. The terrain boxes are a great way to expand your ability to build maps but don’t contain any figures. In addition, none of these releases come with order markers, battle dice, or rulebooks.

The Wave 1 releases (the Master Set & the Battle Box) are the place to start if you’re new to Heroscape. The Battle Box is an excellent “let’s see if I’ll like this” set with six unique characters and enough terrain (including Laur trees and wellspring water tiles) to give you the flavor of the bigger game system. The larger Master Set offers a great variety of figures (including the first squads of the new system) and possible scenarios.

My recommendation to new players: buy the Master Set & Battle Box, followed by the Lands of Valhalla terrain box to let you build bigger boards. From there, you’ll want to look at armies you want to fill out (polar bears, nudge, nudge) and other kinds of terrain you’re interested in.

An important note for both newbies and old skool Heroscape players: all of the heroes and squads in the Battle Box, Master Set, and Army Expansions (through Wave 3) are unique – meaning you cannot field more than one of them per army. This is a money saver for those of us who were used to buying 2-3 copies of each blister pack of squads in order to be able to field sufficient numbers of zombies or Blade Gruts or Granite Guardians.

Are these good purchases for those of us who’ve been collecting Heroscape for years?

This question is a little bit more up my alley. I own at least one (and often more than one) of everything from the original run of Heroscape (2004-2010) as well as Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the new era of ‘Scape.

While there are a number of classic Heroscape thematic groups that I enjoy – it’s always fun to field an elf army or a bunch of secret agent types with some Gorillanators – I’ve come to love the newest burgeoning group: the heavily armored polar bears. Knight Primus Adelbern & Ordo Borealis are perfect additions to the Frostclaw Paladins from the Age of Annihilation set… in fact, put all of them together and you have a nearly 500 point team that can both deal and absorb a lot of damage. The Ordo Borealis squad’s ranged capabilities combined with their slightly beefier hit points (for a squad) work really well when they, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, have the high ground. (My apologies for the gratuitous Star Wars prequel reference.)

The Hellforge Mandukor is an excellent addition to the Eisenek warriors introduced in late fall 2024. He/it (not sure?) combines nicely with the Iron Lich and the Necrotech Wraithriders. His Blast Furnace power means that he needs to keep away from his teammates – but he’s absolutely brutal against squads. (Thankfully, figures with Lava Resistance aren’t affected – so I’m wondering what a fight between him vs. Brunak & some Obsidian Guards would end up.)

The final set of figures for this February release in the Rising Tide arc contains two very interesting heroes: Halushia, Scion of the Wild and Sonlen (an elf archmage). Those of us who’ve played Heroscape for a long time have incredibly fond memories of the original Sonlen and the tiny dragon riding on his shoulder. As time has passed, Sonlen now rides dragons… and continues to fight for Ullar. His healing powers are beyond nifty – they can even be used if he flies over a friendly figure – and when he’s fighting in close combat, his dragon joins him in battle. Halushia is a centaur (well, the Heroscape lore folks call him a “Dryan”) who has a ride-by special attack that lets him plow through groups of enemies and inflict damage. He also is able to use the trees and bushes of Valhalla to reduce the defense of enemy figures when they are near them. Both are excellent additions to the Ullar cause.

I do have some requests of the Renegade team:

• more polar bears, please
• more Eisenek (we’re not quite at the point where you can field an entire Eisenek team)
• more beasts (Halushia is the third figure that can control small & medium beasts… but so far there are only the two beasts from the Battle for the Wellspring box)
• more classic characters in new forms (for example, what does Agent Carr look like now?! Or Taelord?)

Are the new terrain pieces worth it?

Now, let’s talk about the terrain boxes. Both the Swamps of Valhalla and the Snowfields of Valhalla add terrain types that will be new to recent converts – but are “old skool” to those of who’ve been playing a while. Swamp terrain originally appeared in the Swarm of the Marro big box while snow & ice came in the Thaelenk Tundra sets. Both sets contain a large amount of “thin” terrain (swamp water & ice) – including some in the new 3 hex configuration (which I like a lot). Both sets also have two “obstacles” – two snow-dusted evergreens for the snowfields and two red-leafed bushes for the swamp. This is also the first time we’ve had 24 hex snow pieces, which makes it much easier to create large snow-filled boards.

While I wish there had been a bit more terrain pieces in each box (and more trees & bushes!), I get that putting a larger set together would have hiked the price to an unacceptable level. As it is, new players who want to build swampy or snow-filled boards will need to spring for a second box.

For long-time players, the terrain pieces generally match the same pieces from the original game – with the exception of the ice pieces. Hold on – I’m not actually complaining about this. I like the old ice pieces but I think the new ones work well and are not a glaring change from the original Tundra sets.

“Old” ice on the left, “new” ice on the right.

How are the scenarios in the various sets?

There are no new scenarios in the boxes for this release.

How does the future of Heroscape look to you?

I’m still very excited about all the new stuff… and it’s causing us to bring out the older stuff as well & create massive battles (and a great deal of fun)!

• We continue to expose new players to Heroscape… and the response is overwhelmingly positive. (A few of them have even started collecting ‘Scape themselves.)
• The second part of the Rising Tide story arc is only a couple of months away – which includes three more army boxes and an official paint set.
• Renegade continues to support in-store and competitive play with organized play sets, the excellent Battle Network site, and a series of very cool promo figures.
• Keep an eye open – I’ve covered the RenegadeCon release and the info dump about this summer’s Heroscape offerings (the story arc is “Boiling Tensions”).

As noted above, I received review copies of the new Heroscape material – Wave 1, Wave 2, and Wave 3. Back in the day, I did receive some promo figures, a couple of Volcarren Wasteland boxes, and a wave of figures as a “thank you” for my work as a playtester. (I also received a very cool Heroscape T-shirt which fit 42 year old Mark but isn’t as kind to 60 year old Mark. But I still have it hanging in my closet.)

This post originally appeared on the Opinionated Gamers site.

Finite Disappointment and Infinite Hope

I'm not the first to notice the jarring juxtaposition of celebrating the life & work of Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day as the inauguration of Donald Trump. I've written extensively about my concerns & fears about Mr. Trump's fitness for public office and his "moneychangers in the Temple" attitude toward the Christian faith. 

Let me share some thoughts on this day and what it means to those of us who claim a faith in Jesus Christ.

• "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." (MLK Jr)
• It may be difficult to hear those words over the noise of inauguration news coverage, but there is justice. It just may not be on my timeline - or in my lifetime. 
• "When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh." (Proverbs 29:2 AMP)
• "Again, my loved ones, do not seek revenge; instead, allow God’s wrath to make sure justice is served. Turn it over to Him. For the Scriptures say, “Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores.” (Romans 12:19 VOICE)
• You are not the first person of faith to cry out to God and wonder why injustice prevails...
• "How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save? Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4 HCSB)
• I found myself drawn to the book of Habakkuk this weekend - which is not unusual throughout my life. His struggles with evil and injustice - and how God chooses to deal with those things in real time - echo the battle in my own heart & mind.
• In 2020, I wrote the following words which ring true this morning: "The fact that I can't see how God is working in the world does not mean God has stopped working in our lives."
• Praying for our political leadership is not simply "God bless 'em" - there is Biblical precedent for accountability and justice.
• "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live." (1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG)
• "What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people." (Isaiah 10:1-2 NLT)
• "Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." (Isaiah 1:17 NLT)
• Whether you are mourning or celebrating today, your obligation as a follower of Christ is to do justice... to live out the path set before us in Scripture.
• "...people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NLT)

I'll let Martin have the final word today...

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

It's Still Personal: Mark's Five & Dime Games for 2024

Hey, campers... I may have stopped collecting the Five & Dime stats for everyone else - but I haven't stopped collecting my own!

Here's my own personal Five & Dime list (the games I played 5+ and 10+ times in 2024).

As always, I include only face-to-face games and games played with human opponents over apps/online. What that means is that games that I play only solo via an app or website (examples: Next Station: London, Ascension, Draft & Write Records, etc.) are not counted. (All three of those would be 50+ plays if I did.)

Games with an asterisk [*] were on my Five & Dime list last year. Each asterisk indicates another year... and each plus sign indicates five years! Believe it or not, there's actually one game that has been on this list for 14 years [++****].

If you're curious, here's the games that have been on my Five & Dime list for 5+ years

• Race for the Galaxy (14 years)
• 7 Wonders (9 years)
• Jump Drive (7 years)
• Unmatched: Batlle of Legends (5 years)

Dollars

• Memoir '44 143 **

Dimes

• 7 Wonders: Architects 21 **
• Heroscape 21 
• Race for the Galaxy 19 ++****
  
• Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game 17 *
• River Valley Glassworks 16
• Unmatched: Battle of Legends 15 +
• Wild Tiled West 15
• Let's Go To Japan 14
• The Red Dragon Inn 14 *
• New Frontiers 13
• Path of Civilization 13
• Terraforming Mars 13
• Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar 12
• Faraway 11
• Jump Drive 11 +**
• Can't Stop 10 ****
• Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale 10
• Distilled 10
• Heat: Pedal to the Metal 10 **
• Stonespine Architects 10

Nickels

• Captain Flip 8
• Dune: Imperium 8 ***
• Lockup: A Roll Player Tale 7
• Lost Ruins of Arnak 7
• Pirates of Maracaibo 7
• 7 Wonders 6 +****
• A Gentle Rain 6
• Ancient Knowledge 6
• Dead Reckoning 6 **
• Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters 6
• Minigolf Designer 6 ***
• NEOM 6
• The Artemis Project 6
• Ark Nova 5 **
• Dungeonquest 5
• Everdell 5 **
• Fast Food Franchise 5
• Final Girl 5
• Imperium: Classics/Legends/Horizons 5
• Next Station: London 5
• Pioneer Rails 5
• Return to Dark Tower 5 **
• Roll Player Adventures 5
• Super Mega Lucky Box 5
• The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth 5
• Ticket to Ride 5
• Twilight Inscription 5
• Voidfall 5
• Xia: Legends of a Drift System 5

Just Missed (with 4 plays)

A caret [^] denotes that they were on the Five & Dime list last year... and a pound sign [#] marks games I'm pretty sure will return in 2024. A dollar sign [$] indicates that the game was on the "Just Missed" list last year.

• 52 Realms: Adventures
• Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig
• Clank! Catacombs ^#
• DC Comics Deck-Building Game ^
• Draft & Write Records
• Fantastic Factories
• It's a Wonderful World ^
• Monumental
• Mountains out of Molehills
• Scribbly Gum
• The Taverns of Tiefenthal
• Thunder Road: Vendetta ^#

After All These Years

These are games that fell off the list... after years of repeated play. I felt compelled to say a few words at their passing.

• Res Arcana
• My primary opponent graduated college and is working on a masters degree.
• Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition
• This is really about the boys not being at home any more... since I don't own this edition.
• Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
• As much as I enjoy this mash-up of Terraforming Mars & Race for the Galaxy, I'd rather play the original board game and my game room is set up to make that easier to do.
• Trails of Tucana
• Lots of good roll/flip'n'writes out there now... this one just got crowded out this year.

Unpacking

Over the past couple of months, I've written a number of posts about the multitude of reasons I believe that President-elect Trump is a spectacularly bad choice to lead the United States for the next four years. The fact that he was elected last week does not lessen my concerns.

What follows is a hodge-podge of thoughts and quotes... a virtual download of my fears and frustrations. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this victory for a convicted felon... and, when I'm honest with myself, attempting to trust God with it as well.

Moreover, it's not as simple as "love God, hate Trump" or "it's the end of the world as we know it" - so much depends on how we choose to live and act. Heck, so much depends on how I choose to live and act.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Hoping I'm Wrong... And Right

As you'll see as you work your way through the rest of this blog post, I take seriously the words that Mr. Trump has spoken over the course of the last four years. In many cases, the promises he's made have immense potential to cause financial havoc, ballooning national debt, trade wars with both enemy & allied nations, and warp the American sense of justice and law enforcement for generations to come. 

So, I hope I'm wrong about any number of these things. I pray that the President-elect will back away from and/or forget many of the proposals he has floated.

At the same time, I'm really struggling with the desire for Mr. Trump to follow through on some of these things and for those who voted for him to see the downstream impacts of their decision. I'm striving against that instinct - it makes me feel petty and mean and vindictive. But I also know that the most effective teacher is often natural consequences.

The really cynical part of me is resigned to the reality that Mr. Trump is a past master at finding someone (besides himself) to blame for pretty much everything that goes wrong... and that the tendency of those who've supported the President-elect to let him off the hook.

There are two kinds of Trump voters. Those who voted for Trump BECAUSE of what he said he would do, and those who voted for Trump DESPITE what he said he would do.

For example, Trump said he would lock up his political opponents like Liz Cheney. The BECAUSE voters genuinely hope he will imprison Cheney. The DESPITE voters thought it was all bluster and Cheney is not at risk.

The BECAUSE/DESPITE split applies to many other issues. In 2025, I expect one of these groups will be very disappointed.

When engaging with a Trump voter, it's helpful to discern which type you're talking to. Most in my circle are DESPITE voters. I suspect that's the case nationally as well. God help us if I'm wrong about that.

Skye Jethani

A Not Exhaustive List of Stuff That is Likely To Happen

• Donald Trump will never be held responsible by a court of law for the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election (including January 6, 2021) or the refusal to return classified documents (including hiding them and lying about them).
• The majority of those in jail for federal offenses related to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol will have their sentences commuted or be pardoned for their crimes. 
• Working with the likely majorities in both House & Senate, the tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be extended. 
• This will result in increasing the federal debt load.
• While the wildest numbers that Mr. Trump floated seem unlikely, he is primed to lean into increasing tariffs against China as well as any country who does not build production facilities in the U.S. 
• I wrote extensively about Mr. Trump's inability to understand and/or explain how tariffs work - and the potential fallout of these kind of decisions.
• Some attempt will be made to begin mass deportation/"remigration" of illegal immigrants.
• The combination of tariff/trade war behaviors and increased efforts to deport large numbers of individuals will have an negative economic impact - including the raising of prices on food and construction.
• Both pro-life and pro-choice folks will be frustrated by the lack of federal action on the issue of abortion.
• If RFK Jr is given a health care role with power in the Trump administration, there will be serious damage to the FDA and CDC. The biggest question will be how vast the negative effect of his leadership on vaccination and the subsequent health crises (measles, polio, etc.) from the loss of herd immunity, esp. among school age children.
• At some point during the Trump administration, the President will attempt to pressure Ukraine into negotiating a deal for peace with Russia that gives Russia pretty much everything it wants. Ukraine will refuse that deal, even if it means a complete loss of U.S. financial and weapons support.
• This is based on the proposed deal floated by Mr. Vance, suggesting that Russia would keep all of the territory it has gained from the unprovoked attack as well as receive a promise that Ukraine would not join NATO. This offers literally no security to Ukraine and will be rejected outright.
• The Trump administration will vacillate between loud support for Israel in its battles with Hamas & Hezbollah and peace-making attempts in order to placate Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations with whom the President-elect and his family are attempting to do business.
• China will continue to increase pressure on Taiwan - and that situation will grow increasingly difficult if/when the Trump administration acquiesces to Russia regarding Ukraine.
• Mr. Trump will continue to denigrate those who oppose him in wildly inappropriate ways - and evangelicals in particular will continue to excuse these behaviors by likening him to Old Testament biblical leaders like David, Cyrus, or Jehu.
• The Trump administration will slow roll or outright deny aid/assistance to those states whose governors and/or legislatures do not support his agenda.
• The President-elect will test the boundaries of the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision.

A plea to everyone who supports Trump.

He won.

• If he tries to say he can run for a 3rd term, please stand up and say no.
• If he attacks Americans with the military because they’re “the enemy from within”, please stand up and say no.
• If he lets RFK discourage vaccines that have eradicated diseases like polio, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to hurt journalists, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to seize control of the media, please stand up and say no.
• If he tries to jail his political enemies, please stand up and say no.

We’ve debated if he would do those things, you’ve been certain he wouldn’t. If you’re proven wrong, your fellow Americans need you to care about their wellbeing more than winning.

Taylor Dartt

Vox populi, vox Dei?!

In Latin, it means "The voice of the people is the voice of God" - and though that sounds pretty darn pro-democracy, it was actually first used negatively by Alcuin of York in a letter to Emperor Charlemagne in 800 A.D.:

“And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always close to insanity.”

In our current political situation, it's the tendency to defer to "the wisdom of crowds" - or to ascribe deep political meaning to the number of people you can turn out for a political rally.

Here's the deal: the voice of the people can be wrong. Richard Nixon was elected in a landslide in 1972 (60.7% of the popular vote, 520 electoral votes out of 538)... and yet resigned as president less than two years later to avoid being impeached.

I am not suggesting that the results of the 2024 election are incorrect - Donald Trump was elected president. What I am suggesting is that I can both assert the fairness of our election system and question the wisdom of choosing such a flawed candidate to lead our country.

Even in a well-established and long-functioning democracy, even in the exceptional United States of America, even in the enlightened 21st century, the majority can be wrong.

This shouldn’t be a controversial or startling statement. It’s self-evidently true...

In a democracy, the people rule. Which is good! And the majority decides. Which is right! But we don’t therefore surrender to the majority our right, our duty, to make our own judgments about the wisdom of their decisions...

We need to be able to say that it was foolish and short-sighted, and maybe worse, to judge that Joe Biden’s economy was so terrible that Donald Trump’s bigotry and demagoguery counted for nothing. We need to be able to say it was wrong to embrace change if change means the deportation of millions of residents living here peacefully, or abandoning tens of millions of Ukrainians fighting for the survival of their nation and their liberty...

...it is worth being reminded that respecting the decision of the people doesn’t mean surrendering one’s judgment to them.

William Kristol

Stop Bashing Democracy

In all of this, I find Jonah Goldberg's take on the demonization of the other side to be both thought-provoking and convicting:

I completely understand why some folks are so upset about Donald Trump winning. But that’s really no reason to trash-talk democracy, America, or the Americans who democratically voted for Trump. I am not backsliding or changing course here; I still think Trump is unfit for office. That doesn’t mean, though, that everyone who voted for the guy is a fascist, sexist, racist, or idiot. 

There are many reasons this kind of talk is objectionable and ill-advised, but I’m going to focus on the one that matters the most: It’s not true.  

Let’s start with the claim that everyone who voted for Trump is an idiot.

Did some idiots vote for Trump? Of course. But I guarantee you that Harris got her share of the idiot vote, too. Idiots are pretty well distributed across the political spectrum. And you know what? So are smart people. Lots of smart people voted for Trump. And lots of smart people voted for Harris. I find the tendency of people—smart and dumb ones alike—to think that “smart” and “right” and “dumb” and “wrong” are interchangeable terms to be one of the most exhausting analytical errors out there. 

In fact, it’s almost as exhausting as thinking that “wrong” is synonymous with “fascist” or “bigot.” Fascism and bigotry are wrong, but not all wrong people are fascists and bigots. Are some Trump voters fascists and bigots? Yeah, sure. But I don’t think he cornered that market either.  

More importantly, for every voter who wants Trump to be a “fascist”—or racist, or authoritarian, etc. the labels here really don’t matter—there are probably dozens, or hundreds, or, most likely, tens of thousands of Trump voters who think it’s unfair to call him an authoritarian, never mind a fascist. Why? Because they don’t think he is one and don’t want him to be one. Those people might be wrong (I have opinions!), but that doesn’t mean they’re idiots or fascists themselves. It just means they’re wrong. And convincing them they’re wrong doesn’t get easier by calling them idiots and fascists. 

There are people who voted for Trump believing that he was lying about some things just to get elected. There are other people who voted for him believing that he was telling the truth about that stuff but definitely lying about other stuff. Now that he’ll be president, we’ll find out which things were lies and which weren’t. If he pardons all of the January 6 rioters, some people who voted for him will be very happy, others will be disgusted, and many others will fall somewhere in between. If he puts RFK Jr. in charge of health care, some will be horrified, some will be happy, and others just won’t care—at least not until their kids start getting measles. We’ll just have to wait and see.  

But treating fellow Americans like they are “enemies within” is wrong and destructive when Donald Trump does it. And it’s wrong and destructive when his enemies do it. Wait for the facts. Have arguments over the facts. That’s what politics and democracy are for, no matter who wins an election. And if you win the argument, you’ll win the next election.  

Jonah Goldberg

God Is In Control (And Other Things That Aren't Very Comforting)

Finally, a theological musing.

I understand that many of my fellow followers of Christ who voted for Mr. Trump intend their words to be a consolation - or at least a statement of theological truth. For some, they are a barely concealed "get over it already", wrapped in pious theological language.

The effect, regardless of intent, is to dismiss the feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness of those of us who've opposed the return to the presidency of Mr. Trump. I'll point out that the Bible is filled with laments... and even an entire section entitled the "Book of Lamentations". 

Equally tone deaf are the attempts to police reactions to this loss - making fun of folks (both famous and obscure) for the way they are processing their grief in public. This is not the way of Christ - this is not the fruit of the Spirit ("love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" - Galatians 522-23).

I'll close with a thoughtful take on this from pastor Jeb Barr:

“GOD IS ON HIS THRONE”

I’ve seen many people post to this the last couple of days.

“God is on His throne” is a true statement, but it is an incomplete theology.

“God is on His throne” does not mean all is ok or that His perfect will is being accomplished.

God is on His throne during every evil even in human history.

God is on His throne, and genocide still happened.

God is on His throne, and clergy sex abuse still occurred and was covered up by His followers.

God is on His throne, and Hitler still sent millions to gas chambers after rising to power with the support of most German Christians.

God is on His throne, and still millions of Africans were kidnapped and brought to the Americas as slaves, and many Christians used Scripture to justify and defend the practice.

God is on His throne, and our nation still tore itself apart as North fought South, both sides believing God was on their side.

God is on His throne, and in His sovereignty He allows evil, sin and suffering to take place, and He rarely stops us from hurting one another.

God is on His throne, and one day He will return to see all things right and enact perfect justice, but today is not that day.

“God is on His throne” too easily becomes the platitude of the privileged who believe they will benefit from the current circumstances. All is ok because they are ok.

“God is on His throne” can quickly become an abdication of our responsibility to be His stewards over creation and His hands and feet to the hurting.

God is on His throne, and He’s commanded us to hear the cries of the poor, to advocate the cause of the oppressed, to welcome the stranger, to visit the prisoner, and to feed the hungry.

God is on His throne, but are we carrying out the commands and the priorities of the King?

Jeb Barr

How To Get Tossed Out of a Gaming Group - Actually a Post About Politics (Classic)

This post was originally written for Election Day in 2008... and I present it again with some edits because it still applies. 

I know that some of you have been thinking, "Hey, I get to game on a regular basis with folks who put up with my foibles & quirks... I wonder if there's a good way to make sure they hate my guts & either boot my rear end out of the group and/or change meeting places & times so that I can never find them again?"  

Well, I'm planning to answer the question for you. In fact, I'm so concerned that you not overly tax your mental faculties (seeing as how many of you spent last night watching pundits & posers pontificate & predict - hopefully with less alliteration than I'm using), I've broken the way to get tossed into bullet points: 

• When you win a game, gloat.
• When you lose a game, whine & accuse the other player of cheating.

That's it. A steady diet of this behavior will have you on the outs in no time - and if they choose not to kick you out, they'll secretly detest your presence. Trust me on this one.

So, how did this pithy bit of wisdom end up here? Come on, if you're reading this blog, you have enough sense to come in out of the rain & enough smarts to figure out a metaphor when it bites you on the hind end.

Yesterday, a number of candidates & propositions won or lost. Some of you have been victorious in a battles you've fought with your keyboards & your hearts... others of you know the stale taste of defeat - and you've fought just as hard as those who win.

Regardless (or is that "irregardless"?), you have the opportunity now to respond with grace & dignity.

• If your side/candidate wins, don't gloat.
• If your side/candidate loses, don't whine. Don't accuse others of cheating without real & obvious cause... using an actual standard of proof, not "the guy on TikTok said it" or "somebody posted this on Facebook."

I want to speak specifically to those who declare themselves as followers of Christ. We have a huge responsibility tonight - if we're gonna call ourselves "biblical Christians", then we better live like it when it comes to election results.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV)

if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. (1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT)

The most important thing today is not the election of a particular candidate - no one person will usher in the Kingdom of God. (Well, one will, but He's not running this year.) Nor is it the passing of a proposition - law can compel moral behavior but it has no power over the heart. It is far more important that the world around us see followers of Jesus living in the grace & power of Jesus Christ.

Note: I am preaching this sermon to myself most of all.

Classic: Fruit Cakes, Red Dawn, and "Stealing" An Election

The best man at my wedding (the wonderful Tim Formby, who is substantially more fit at age 60 than I will ever be) grew up in the east Texas town of Corsicana. (If you've heard of Corsicana, it's probably because of Collin Street Bakery... which ships fruitcakes all over the world.)

Kids my age grew up during the Cold War... where pretty much every bad guy on TV shows were Soviet spies and movies like RED DAWN informed our worldview. For Tim & his friends, that meant long discussions about how to defend Corsicana in case of the U.S.S.R. sending troops to invade the U.S. of A. Questions like "which bridges get blown up?" and "how do we cache the proper weapons?" led to plans, notes, and even hand-drawn maps. 

I bring up this bit of semi-ancient history to ask for the same kind of thoughtfulness from those who are supporting President Trump in questioning the legitimacy of the election results. I know that presenting well-researched fact checks doesn't seem to quell their doubts, so I'm hoping this might assist. 

Here's what I propose... grab a piece of paper and write out a detailed plan for stealing the presidential election. Take into account what would need to be done and who would need to be involved. List all of the different county, state, and federal entities that would need to be compromised in some format to explain margins of 20,000+ votes in multiple contested states. Determine what kind of expertise you would need and what kind of resources & communications protocols would be necessary. 

Operational security is going to be an important consideration - how are you going to keep all of those involved from leaking information and/or getting caught? The more individuals that are a part of the conspiracy, the more difficult this will be. If you choose to operate in individual cells to foster secrecy, you will need to account for coordination and control.

Chuck Colson, Richard Nixon's hatchet man who became a follower of Christ and the founder of Prison Fellowship, noted that his belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ was supported by his experience inside a cabal around the President.

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

I'm guessing by now you have a lot of notes (and your plan is unlikely to involve blowing up any bridges). This leads to an important philosophical principle (which I've posted about previously): Occam's Razor. The Latin aphorism is commonly rendered as "the simplest explanation is most likely the right one."

So, does your plan make sense? Is it plausible? Moreover, is it inside the realm of possibility outside of an X-Files episode? 

I am not doubting that there are irregularities in the voting process and even occasional attempts to steal elections. (The most recent major attempt was done in 2018 on behalf of a Republican candidate in North Carolina.) But none of those are large enough or expansive enough to explain the result of a presidential election. In the words of one of my favorite L.A. bands, Adam Again:

When I touch you with Occam's razor

I will cut you between truth and lie

Meanwhile, talking about Collin Street Bakery reminds me of how good the pastries are at their retail store in Corsicana. And writing about Tim makes me want to get Fortress America (the board game) to the table again.

This post was originally written in November 2020... I've revised it slightly and put it back out there again for... reasons.

Why Not?: Ukraine, NATO, and Taiwan

This is the tenth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

Weirdly enough, this was the first post I started in this series... and it's likely the last before Election Day. Originally, it was an epic roll through the Trump Tower Moscow, the first Trump impeachment, etc... but I finally decided it was more powerful to keep it simple.

Ukraine

It's not a difficult question. 

You have said you would solve this war in 24 hours. You said so just before the break tonight. How exactly would you do that? And I want to ask you a very simple question tonight. Do you want Ukraine to win this war? 

[David Muir asking Donald Trump a question during the presidential debate on Sept. 10]

Yet the final answer the former president gave was boiled down to:

I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal.

Reminder: Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022... with the ambition of overthrowing a democratic government. And our best choice is to negotiate a deal?!

NATO

I did the same thing with NATO. I got them to pay up. NATO was busted until I came along. I said, “Everybody’s going to pay.” They said, “Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?” I said, “Absolutely not.” They couldn’t believe the answer. And you never saw more money pour in to Secretary General Stoltenberg. I don’t know if he is anymore, but he was my biggest fan. He said, “All these presidents came in, they’d make a speech, they’d leave. And that was it.”

And they all owed money, and they wouldn’t pay it. I came in, I made a speech, and I said, “You got to pay out.” They asked me that question. One of the presidents of a big country stood up, said, “Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay. You’re delinquent?” He said, “Yes, let’s say that happened.”

“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” And the money came flowing in. And Henry would know this. If I said, “Yes, I will. You don’t have to pay. Yes, I will.” Most politicians have said to that, “Yes, we will protect you under any circumstances.” Well, then they’re never paying up. I said, “No, no. You have to understand you don’t pay your bills, you get no protection.” It’s very simple. Hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO, and that’s why they have money today because of what I did."

(Donald Trump at a rally in South Carolina, February 2024)

For more information about the 2% guideline, read the actual NATO policy. (In other words, the former president didn't get any nation to send "hundreds of billions of dollars" to NATO.)

Separate of the obvious issues with the veracity of the anonymous president questioning Mr. Trump (a favorite trope of his storytelling), the fact that he is bragging about telling Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" (his words) is chilling.

Taiwan

“Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business. I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away.”

(Donald Trump in a Bloomberg interview, July 2024)

In Short

The former president is fixated on money as a measure of loyalty. He's obsessed with a "pay to play"/"protection racket" ('nice country you got there; hate if something happened to it') view of the world. It's like he watched too many gangster movies and was schooled by his father and Roy Cohn to see the world with dollars as the scoreboard - rather than human lives and human freedom.

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump's protection racket foreign policy does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

The seventh post in this series focuses on the opposition of many of his former staff to his re-election as well as his possible choices for government positions of unqualified (at best) individuals. (This post was written prior to the release of more extensive reporting of John Kelly's rejection of Mr. Trump.) 

The eighth post in this series focuses on the former president's desire for harsh laws and law enforcement against others but extreme leniency for himself.

The ninth post in this series focuses on the former president's obsession with dictators and dictator-like behavior.