Wait, I thought this was a tabletop game

SWD6: Point of Entry

Time is the Hunter Episode 01: Point of Entry I figured it was time to return to the source from whence my interest of simulationist/narrativist tabletop games originated: Star Wars The Roleplaying Game once published by West End Games and run using the D6 system. It was the first RPG that I ran for Irfan once upon a time and we have never played it since. Irfan plays Jax Hunt, a young human bounty hunter who is on his way to get his House Benelex Bounty Hunters’ Guild membership card from an agent/broker in the Byblos system. Jax wears a flak jacket body armour, a Relby-k23 on his hip and a modified helmet to protect his head. After some decades living alone and scrounging in the streets, bottom feeding, Jax had decided to pursue a career as a bounty hunter. Perhaps someday he would even be able to catch the […]

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Dinner at Chortiezz

Celebrating One Anniversary and One Birthday

The twenty-ninth of each year brings about both the birthday of Sila and the anniversary of our parents. She has always quipped that she was Atok and Opah’s third anniversary present. Atok and Opah were on site in Perlis on this day, so we thought we would go celebrate at the restaurant where we celebrated Ain’s birthday not two weeks earlier. This time I took a photo of Ain’s burger, which was enormous. Atok ordered a burger too while Opah had a chicken chop. I wish Sila, Vin, Yaya and Rafiq were here to celebrate with us. I really miss them, having last seen them recede into the distance at the airport almost six years ago on a very dark day. Happy anniversary Atok and Opah and happy birthday to Sila, Adik the Elder! May all of you be blessed with laughter and contentment.

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I know how The Descent ends

A KL Incursion into the Caves

Then all too suddenly, we were visited upon by relatives from back in the Klang Valley, specifically Irfan’s cousins Aiman and Zara and their family. It was the first time they visited Perlis. As per the standard operating procedure, we took them around the state – the smallest in the country – starting with the bustling, tourist-filled bazaars of Padang Besar. Zara bought new a toy there.  Ain brought them to her vendors of choice. The duty-free store at the Thai border is also a tourist favourite. Just as it was 25 years ago, I still wished Padang Besar had a decent book store, but I guess visitors here are more concerned with getting a good deal for wares rather than books. In any case, Zara got to ride in a duty-free shopping cart. The standard operating procedure ensured that we next visited Gua Kelam, where they appeared to have […]

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Bike repairer

Lighting the Bike

Once upon a time, I marvelled at Irfan’s then-newfound abilities to reach a light switch. These days he’s repairing the bicycle Atok bought for him last year all on his own. Here we see him attempting to remove his bike’s forward and rear lights which he had purchased and installed himself during the weekend. He even bought and installed the batteries for his lights himself. He even went to the bike shop alone to replace his seat, as 14-year-olds normally do. Maybe someday he’ll even repair communication satellites! I think he’s getting older by the second. Snif.

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International Irfan at the beach

Irfan Goes To An Exhibition

Irfan was selected to attend a school exhibition at a prestigious school in Satun, Thailand. With a group of 12 other students (all of which are fifth formers), he set out with his convoy from school early Wednesday morning. He participated in a spelling bee and helped man his school’s exhibition booth where they demonstrated various science experiments. Before he returned on Friday, the group also visited Pak Bara. Irfan returned home at the end of the day where he had stories of his adventures to tell.

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I missed The Force Awakens première? That's just nuts

Yet Another Cousin Arrives

After our inaugural viewing of Star Wars The Force Awakens in Alor Setar, Cikma – who was very far along her pregnancy – was admitted to hospital for blood pressure that went through the roof. So first thing the next morning Ain and Irfan travelled to KL by bus to aid Cikma. But before their bus cruised into the city, young Rania Sumayyah was decantered into this world. Both mother and infant were healthy upon her arrival. Welcome to this universe, Baby Rania! Of course, Irfan is happy because he gets to meet with his cousins!

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Fare thee well

Lost in Translation

We had two weeks to spend in Kuala Lumpur because of my course. Let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way first: I had the flu for two days in the first week, then three in the second. It was unpleasant not just because I felt like a popsicle all day but also because it was expensive, but I did not miss a day of class. During the weekend that marked the midpoint of our adventure in KL, we spend the night at Kak Nor’s house where Irfan played to his heart’s content with his cousins! On Sunday, I went to continue the Modesty Blazing Star Wars Edge of the Empire campaign, picking up where we left off 14 months ago when I still lived in the city. Ain and Irfan bought a Corellian VCX-100 freighter which I put to good use during the game earlier. So the intensive translation […]

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Only posing

Set Course For The City

And so it was that the workplace booked me on a two week course. The course was to be held back in Kuala Lumpur. You know the city: Irfan’s kampung. We drove southbound and spent the night in Sitiawan before continuing on to Kuala Lumpur after a breakfast with Irfan’s Atok and Opah. We stopped at Sekinchan at a restaurant where lunch was to be had on what appeared to be a kotatsu. A novel thing, and it helped that the food was delicious. We arrived in the city and headed for Cikma’s place where we rendezvoused with every sibling of Ain (and their family) where Irfan was reunited with his cousin Aiman once more. Then after, we headed for the building where the course was held way across town from Cikma’s place. Ain had discovered that the place had accommodations for course attendees and they were affordable. Because of […]

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CoC 5.5 Edition

Call of Cthulhu: Happy Endings

Episode 5 Happy Endings Last time on Call of Cthulhu (back in June) our solo protagonist, the young Detective DJ Stark failed to stop whatever unholy occult occurrence at Horton Opera House. Stabbed by cultists, blind luck caused a passer-by to notice him and call for an ambulance. The incident cost Stark another two weeks in the hospital, but he insisted on returning to duty quickly. Mr. Chao had all but disappeared, and there was no sign of the cultists in the opera house. There was no clue as to what the swirling bright light that he saw before he fell down the trapdoor. At the end of his shift he was approached by his new partner Detective Alex Sim, a young Asian woman who knew of Stark’s proclivities with investigating strange and unexplained things and getting into severe injuries. She warned him that she did not wish for her […]

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With food and drinks

Tsuro Picnic

Once upon a time, earlier today, Irfan came up with the idea of setting up a mat out in the yard so he and other neighbourhood kids can play board games outdoors. Later, there were even sandwiches and apple juice! Here’s hoping the boardgaming will help Irfan and the other children to improve their social and language skills as they interact with one another. Perhaps someday there will be RPG picnics?

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15 years today

15th Anniversary Pizza

Fifteen years since we that day Ain and I got married. We’ve had a number of anniversaries over the fifteen years. Fifteen years of juking and barrel rolling and Tallon rolling and drop kick Koiogran turn just to stay out of reach of blaster bolts from the rear. Sometimes, we would get it and it would hurt because it would mean I failed to keep my family from hurt and harm. Most of the time, we would pull through by the skin of our teeth. This was the first year we celebrate our anniversary without anyone attempting to acquire a target lock on us. It was amazing. I felt like it was the first time I managed to get the ship out of the asteroid field and away from the savage squad of pursuing fighters. We were able to spend some on pizza without worrying about the cost killing us […]

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13th Birthday Gift

Is that 13 Solar or Lunar Years?

And just like that, our once-newborn son is a teenager. As Irfan is so fond of reciting, “Masa berjalan begitu saja.” Although Atok and Opah had treated us to an early birthday dinner with Irfan back in Sitiawan, we went to Burger Republik once more to commemorate the day. From the urban inner city streets of Pandan Indah (which we rarely allow him to be on unsupervised) to the more relaxed conditions of Perlis! Happy birthday and may you continue to grow and burgeon with wisdom and positivity. His birthday present, by the way, is a book.

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Star Wars T-shirts

We’re Not The Droids You’re Looking For

Irfan got a present from his aunt last weekend when two aunts visited. He got this great t-shirt filled with droids. There’s everything from the demolitions droid, some astromech droids, battle droids, a power droid to protocol droids. But there is no Bollux and Blue Max, sadly. So I too wore a t-shirt with a droid on it and took a photo of us. So we would have a photo. Of both of us wearing t-shirts. Of droids.

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It's green

Visitors Formerly From the Tenth Floor

Over the Merdeka Day Weekend, we received some visitors, two of which lived back at the Tenth Floor with us back in the day Cikma, Ayah Cik the Younger and Ciksu travelled to the north all the way from Kuala Lumpur to spend time with us. Also, Irfan had some questions about Steam to ask Ayah Cik. After an afternoon at Padang Besar where no padang besars could be found, we had dinner at the beach in Kuala Perlis, which for some reason I keep calling “Kuala Selangor” by mistake for no good reason. Maghrib prayers were performed at Masjid Kuala Perlis which was built over water off the town promenade. It was the first time I visited this mosque. Unfortunately it was low tide. The next day, despite all odds Ain succeeded in organising an excursion to Gua Kelam. It was a great morning with clear skies. Unfortunately, some […]

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Yay! Sun in the water!

Weekend at Sitiawan

Last weekend, we balik kampung to Sitiawan. Coincidentally, we got to attend my cousin’s wedding in Ipoh on Saturday. All except Opah Irfan went to the community hall where the wedding took place. She was unwell. As a bonus, we discovered some nifty new roads heading into the capital city of Perak by way of Batu Gajah. Yong Neni and her newborn with Yong Ain together again. We invited them to visit us in Perlis if time permits. It would be great to have them as house guests and show them the sights. Later that night, Atok and Opah took us to dinner at a restaurant of Atok’s old acquaintance. We drove past the restaurant many a time in the past, but failed to notice it. The ambience was good. The food was great. When Vin and Sila return, we should totally come here for dinner at some point. Irfan […]

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There goes the neighourhood...

Legendary Guardians

On our recent return to the city, the GOKL gang gifted upon us more fun stuff: the Guardians of the Galaxy expansion set for the Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building game. Since then, we never had the opportunity to break it out of the box to play it… until today. The Hero cards included were Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Groot and Rocket Raccoon – thrown into the limelight thanks to last year’s film no doubt. Poor Phyla Vell, Adam Warlock, Bug, Mantis and Cosmo the Space Dog. Pip the Troll was absolutely inconsolable. The Masterminds provided in the set are Thanos the Goonie and the Kree Supreme Intelligence, supported by two Villain sets: Kree and Infinity Gems – the latter able to act as either Villains or Artefacts. Irfan and I played twice, both times against the Supreme Intelligence. The first game against the Intergalactic Kree Nega-Bomb Scheme was […]

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