Sparkfinder

24/04/2026

Sabres bag game 3 in Boston for a 2-1 lead in the series!
This despite the worst officiating I've seen in a game.
Quite often when folks bemoan the zebras it's really a case of calls missed/made both ways but the partisan nature of the viewer makes them see it as tilted against them, but this was just shocking.
So much in favour of the Bruins on calls made and against Sabres on calls missed. A lot gets let go in playoff hockey, but the officiating in this game should be reviewed by the league.

Another upside, the Flyers beat the Penguins again to take a 3-0 lead in the series. Not a Flyers fan, Tippett aside, but gotta hate on Pittsburgh and Boston.

SABRES WIN GAME 3 ⚔️

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07/01/2026

New tokens for Sunday and Wednesday Games

25/11/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Heldenhammer by Graham McNeill ⚔️🛡️

I’ve recently rekindled my love of Warhammer and am currently building and painting an Empire of Man army. Although I played Warhammer way back when it was first released, I’d long since moved over to Blood Bowl, so my knowledge of the Old World lore was… limited, to say the least.

To plug the gap, I picked up the Sigmar trilogy by Graham McNeill, starting with Heldenhammer — the origin story of Sigmar himself and the founding of the Empire.

Let’s be clear: this firmly falls into the BOSH category — not as in Harry Bosch (my beloved Michael Connelly series), but Bunch Of Stuff Happens.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t put off. The book did what it needed to do: deliver the key events and legends that form the bedrock of Empire lore. It wasn’t big on narrative depth or emotional pull, but it did give me the lore fix I was after.

That said, it never had me gripped. Compared to other Warhammer authors like Dan Abnett or Aaron Dembski-Bowden, McNeill doesn’t quite bring the same vividness. The battles felt flat. I knew what was happening — but I never felt like I was there.

Still, I didn’t dislike it. It gave me insight into a part of the setting I’d never explored, and for that, it served its purpose. But in terms of immersion or standout storytelling? A bit of a broken sword.

⭐ 1.8/5 — Does the job, but not much more.

10/11/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr 📖🌍

This one’s tough to score fairly.

For the first 150 pages, over a quarter of the book, I genuinely thought this might become one of the rarest things in my reading life: a DNF. I struggled to connect with the multiple storylines. Each narrative thread felt too brief, too fragmented, and I wasn’t getting enough from any of them to really care.

So, I did something I rarely do: I took a break.
Picked up something light and fun (see my post on Wrath of N’Kai), and came back to this with a fresh mindset.

📖 The book follows five characters across time and space — from 15th-century Constantinople to a library in Idaho to a futuristic interstellar voyage — all linked by a long-lost ancient text that becomes a beacon of hope, escape, and connection.

And I’m so glad I returned.

The deeper I got, the more those separate threads started finding their resonance. I began speculating how they might connect. And then, as the end drew near, Doerr pulled it all together, subtly, intelligently, and beautifully. It became one of those books where you close the final page and feel like you’ve come full circle.

It’s an incredibly well-crafted novel, without question. But I have to mark it down, personally, for nearly losing me early on. I know my wife, who loves books with multiple timelines, will likely enjoy it far more than I did.

Still, despite the rocky start, I walked away with a real sense of satisfaction.
It turned out to be something that provided a true payoff. A homage to the magic of books.

⭐ 3.25/5 — technically brilliant, emotionally delayed.

02/11/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Wrath of N’Kai by Joshua Reynolds 🕯️🔍

I love things with a Lovecraftian vibe — just not actual Lovecraft. Kirsten and I have both tried and bounced off his writing. So, after enjoying a Legend of the Five Rings novel by Joshua Reynolds, I thought I’d give one of his Arkham Horror tie-ins a shot.

Game-based fiction can be hit or miss, so I kept my expectations modest. But Wrath of N’Kai? Genuinely exceeded them.

Is it technically “well-written”? Hard to say — but it nails the pulpy tone it’s going for. Suspenseful, atmospheric, and packed with great imagery, it honestly does a better job of evoking that creeping horror than Lovecraft himself ever did (at least for me).

I kept turning to Kirsten mid-read and saying:
👉 “This is a whole lot of fun.”

The story’s helped along by a cast of deliciously clichéd characters, which works perfectly for the genre. The protagonist, Alessandro Zorzi, is a suave, aristocratic thief with a flair for the dramatic. Despite having handled plenty of occult oddities in the past, she spends the first half of the novel chalking everything up to coincidence. That denial makes her slow realisation all the more satisfying.

Her sidekick, a no-nonsense cabbie who passes as a man to keep working, provides a perfect counterbalance — grounded, sharp, and street-smart. The two together give the book its heart.

Now, my rating might look like I didn’t enjoy it, but don’t be fooled. I rate based on both enjoyment and literary quality, so while this scores lower on the latter, I had a great time reading it.
I’ve already added the next one to my TBR pile.

⭐ 2.75/5 — Pure, pulpy occult fun.

31/10/2025

Last night's session was a riot. Basically, John Carpenter's 'The Thing' if it as set in Sandpoint, and directed by the guys that did 'Horrible Histories'.
Link in the comments to the Highlights Video

27/10/2025

Latest Shades of Blood episode is up (link in comments).
According to the party, I'm full-on Matt Berry playing the elf, Tlaytin (pictured on left)
Latest episode includes bad puns, obligatory level 1 Giant Rat fight and making wax angels with a near naked goblin (which I re-enact on camera, albeit not near naked). End credits also include stats for the sessions to date.

24/10/2025

It's 4 weeks since we got a Thursday game played due to bad back, absence or holiday and 5 weeks since all players were present, so it was particularly cool to have everyone back on Foundry and Discord yesterday
Mixture of combat, town interactions and investigations and a big reveal!

15/10/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

While it’s a slight drop from The Last Coyote, returning to Connelly is always a safe bet. I know what I’m getting. Something procedurally tight, character-driven, and reliably satisfying storytelling. That said, this one was an odd experience: I actually preferred the narrative of Season 2 of the Bosch TV series which successfully wove together elements from Trunk Music, The Last Coyote, and The Drop. But even so, few can match Connelly's grasp of narrative, character psychology, and payoff.

This time, Harry Bosch is back at Hollywood Homicide with a new team. There’s a new lieutenant, Grace Billets who is sharp and assertive, whilst also supportive Bosch's approach to investigation. Alongside his old partner Jerry Edgar, Harry now also works with Kizmin Rider, a talented up-and-comer who brings a fresh dynamic.

Their latest case starts with a call during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. A body is found in the trunk of a Rolls Royce up in the hills. The victim, Tony Aliso, a shady Hollywood producer with mob ties. It looks like a classic mob hit: “Trunk Music.”

But as Bosch digs deeper, nothing adds up. The Organized Crime division is suspiciously hands-off, and clues lead Harry to Vegas, and to a former flame now caught up in the case. With every step forward, resistance increases. Something bigger is at play.

This one kept me guessing to the end. Twists and turns are smart and earned, never the frustrating kind. The new characters start off shaky (both for Harry and me), but they grow into their roles beautifully. Connelly brings you along for that journey with his usual flair.

⭐ 3.75/5 — Not my favourite Bosch, but still a rock-solid ride.

14/10/2025

Got back from our holiday in the New Forest and first night back I'm getting my teeth into the excellent upcoming release from Cubicle 7, Warhammer Old World RPG
We thought we'd have some fun recording our sessions, so its up on youtube (links in the comments).
Here's Cameron working through some character options