Heroes' Beacon Monthly

Words from the Editor(s)
In this, our first issue, expect to find... spelling errors (brought to you by the lack of the letter K), grammar mistakes, what's coming up, updates on events, comic & game reviews and how exactly Kyle Rayner broke DC: Heroes United.... all that and more!

Expect to find us in your inbox the first week of every month!

And, if you're into podcasts (and I may be late to the game on this) check out Welcome to Nightvale http://commonplacebooks.com/- really entertaining and sometimes creepy. Free to download on iTunes.

Also remember if you want something brought in, we do special orders! Message us on Facebook, Tweet us, email us... and there's this old fashioned thing that rings sometimes... the phone! Give us a call! We love to hear from you!

Captain America: Winter Soldier

By
Ed Brubaker (Writer)
Steve Epting/Michael Lark (Pencillers)
Review by Steve Henderson

While I am not typically a fan of Captain America in comics. I decided to review this book since it is our choice for the Between the Panels book club this week. I have also heard positive reviews of this story from our customers when the issues were originally released, which led me into this story with hope for a good evening of reading.

This story focuses on Captain America dealing with his past. If you go into this without a basic understanding of the character, you may be left with questions as "who is (Red Skull, Nomad, Crossbones, Falcon....)?" During the first half of the book a series of flashback dream sequences, we learn about his past connection to a character named Bucky. This comes around later in the story.

Later in the story, Captain America is coming to grips with his friend potentially being an enemy. This half of the story uses the standard America defending against terrorists theme. In the end Captain America must make the decision to kill or try and find another solution.

Overall, the book was nicely illustrated, particularly the sections by Steve Epting. The overall pace of the story was fairly slow and there wasn't a lot of showcase for the characters behind the mask. If you have an interest in the inspiration for the new Captain America movie, then this book is very much a must read. If you are looking for a book to introduce a new fan to the character of Captain America, this book may not be the best starting point, because, though it has a reasonably interesting story, there is a lot of back story elements that are hinted at, but not fully explained and may leave a reader wondering what is going on or why they should care.

Friday Night Magic with the Born of the Gods Event Deck
~Greg Grondin

A few weeks ago I published a review of the Born of the Gods event deck that was recently released. I thought I would expand on this review and try the deck out at our Friday Night Magic events to see how it made out.

I've played the deck at both Modern and Standard FNMs and at each I won half my games and placed in the top half. That said, I was more interested in reviewing how this deck performed in a Standard environment.

First, a refresher on the deck list. The Born of the Gods event deck is a black aggro deck with a variety of kill spells and a couple of enchantments to help clear your path once things get rough.

The first thing that I altered going into Standard Night was to remove the Fated Return. It's a high casting cost card, 4BBB, that returns a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield and makes it indestructible. It won't see much play due to it's high casting cost and even then there aren't a lot of really solid targets for the spell. I swapped in one of the Gift of Orzhova's -- possibly not the best decision at the time.

The first deck I played against was a white/black (Orzhov) aggro deck played by one of our strongest local players. The first round ended quickly with a crushing defeat, primarily due to the fact that I kept a hand with five land and two higher casting cost cards, undercutting the deck's aggressive style. The second round went much better. I sideboarded out the Doom Blades for Dark Betrayals and Cremates. The game started off fairly even until Blood Baron of Vizkopa hit the table. A White/Black creature from Dragon's Maze, the Blood Baron of Vizkopa has protection from black and white as well as lifelink. It starts off as a 4/4 creature that becomes a flying 10/10 if your opponent drops below 10 life or you rise above 30. It was untargetable and unblockable by any card I had and made short work of me.

So far -- 1 Loss, (0/2)

The second deck I played against was a red/black (Rakdos) minotaur deck. I love minotaur decks, but it could simply not keep pace with the event deck. Between the fast creatures and the creature kill I was able to keep ahead of my opponent most of the game. I managed to get the right draws and the deck just worked as it should. Desecration Demon made an appearance both times to wrap up the game.

Now -- 1 Loss (0/2), 1 Win (2/0)

The third matchup was the most interesting of the evening and required the most adjustment to the deck. I faced off against a Maze's End deck that had done very well previously. The creatureless deck featured plenty of board wipe and damage prevention cards to hold off it's opponent until it was able to gather all the land it needed for the Maze's End victory condition. It worked well. I was left with a number of useless kill cards in my hand with no targets and had to rely on fast damage from my creatures. The first round was a loss and had me digging 8 cards out of my sideboard and ditching any card I had that targeted an opponent's creature. I tossed in all four Duress. The next two rounds were still interesting, but ended up wins for the Event Deck. It was simply able to deal fast damage. The four Duress alone helped immensely, allowing me to look at my opponent's hand and remove key board wipe spells.

Three down -- 1 Loss (0/2), 2 Wins (2/0, 2/1)

The fourth and final matchup was a bout of deja vu. Another Orzhov deck. This one included Obzedat, Ghost Council as well. The first round was quite close but in the end, without sideboarding, it proved to be a loss. The second round fared much better. Armed with spells to better deal with black creatures and ready for the worst, the event deck was able to net a fairly solid victory. I had appeared that the deck was heading for a final win -- until Blood Baron of Vizkopa hit the table again. Unable to deal with the protection from black creature, the deck had its second loss.

Final Talley -- 2 Losses (0/2, 1/2), 2 Wins (2/0, 2/1)

At the end of the day, the deck did pretty well though and was fun to play. It was also a relaxing deck to play as I could attribute any losses to the event deck and not to my own deck construction skills. A skilled player might get even more mileage out of the event deck and might make smarter sideboard decisions. Overall though, it made for a fun evening and it was a great way to just hop in and play a Friday Night Magic event without needing to construct my own deck. It also provided a very strong foundation to build upon if someone wanted to alter the deck. While some of the cards included have dropped in price, the deck provides a number of high cost cards and is still a good value for newer players and worth picking up if you are just getting into the game.

Kittens in a Blender
Redshift Games
2-4 Players
Approx 30 minutes
$17.99
Recommended

From the Designers:
You are twisted. I can’t believe you actually want to put these adorable kittens in a blender! I guess that’s none of my business. Maybe you’re more of a dog person. Sure, kittens are curious by nature, but when they get in a kitchen full of dangerous appliances, it is up to you to save them.

This fast-paced card game has players working to save all of their own kittens before the unthinkable happens. But sometimes the only way to save your precious litter of kittens is to let those curious little cats learn the lesson of why you should never play in a Blender!

Objective:
Save your kittens and send your opponents' kittens to The Blender.

Setup & Play:
Put the game box top on the table, open-side up and place the oversized Blender card inside, face-up: that's The Blender. Place the oversized Box card face up in the base of the box: that's The Box. Leave a little space between The Blender and The Box: that's The Counter. Assign each player a Kitten color (red, green, blue or yellow), shuffle the deck, deal each player 6 cards and it's time to start saving adventurous kittens.

On each turn, players play two cards and then draw back up to 6. Kitten cards may be played into The Blender, The Counter or The Box. All other cards are played face up in front of the player so that all players can see which cards have been played.

Players can play Kitties on the Move to move kittens to or from The Blender, The Counter or The Box; the number on the card specifies the number of kittens that can each be moved 1 space. Playing a Blend card will destroy the kittens currently in The Blender, save the kittens in The Box, and move the kittens on The Counter into The Blender unless countered by another player's Blend "Pulse" card.

Players can move kittens around with other cards as well. Kittens in the Blender moves all of the kittens on The Counter or in The Box to The Blender. With These Cats in the Blender a player can move all cats of a chosen color from The Counter and The Box to The Blender. Kittens in the Box moves all kittens in The Blender or on The Counter to The Box, while Cats on the Counter moves all the kittens in The Blender or The Box to The Counter.

Total chaos reigns when the Dog's in the Kitchen as each player gives her hand to the player in the direction indicated on the card.

The game ends when all 16 of the Blend cards have been played. Saved kittens are worth 2 points each, blended kitties cost 1 point each. Highest score wins.

Contents: 1 oversized Blender card, 1 oversized Box card, 110 playing cards (64 Kittens: 16 in each of 4 colors - red, green, blue and yellow; 18 Kitties on the Move: 6 of each number; 16 Blends: 8 Regular Blend & 8 Blend Black; 4 Dogs in the Kitchen: 2 left & 2 right; 2 Kittens in the Blender; 2 Your Cats in the Blender; 2 Cats on the Counter; 2 Kittens in the Box), rules.

Previews Preview

Previews is the monthly catalog of all the comics and pop culture merchandise you can order. The catalog has 500+ pages of comics, books, apparel, figures, etc... If you are looking for something new or a great gift check here first.

Orders for items from this Previews are due by April 21st and begin shipping in June 2014. Due to the unpredictability of the exchange rate prices are subject to change.

Upcoming From DC

Infinity Man and the Forever People #1
Four of the best students from New Genesis arrive on Earth to study and aid in the advancement of humanity, but soon discover a dark purpose to their mission. A threat so great it could bring the entire multiverse to its knees!

Superman #32

Jump into Superman as Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr take over with the telling of “The Man of Tomorrow”. Chapter 1 starts with the introduction of Ulysses into the Man of Steel’s life. This strange visitor shares many of Kal-El’s experiences, including having been rocketed from a world with no future!

Upcoming from Marvel

Savage Hulk #1
A can’t miss story that pits the HULK against the X-Men! Learn the startling secret of Professor Xavier’s connection to Bruce Banner.

Uncanny X-men Special #1
With Cyclops having been kidnapped the Children of the Atom, the Armoured Avenger, and the Human Rocket come together. What force could possibly bring these heroes all together?

Upcoming Comics from more Publishers

Emily and the Strangers #1 (Dark Horse)

Emily – and her new band the Strangers won the battle of the bands and received a record contract with Awesomely Awesome Records, but can the girl who just figured out how to get along with her friends manage to deal with a major corporation?

Outcast #1 (Image)
Robert Kirkman, created of the Walking Dead, writes a new horror story about Kyle Barnes, a man plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now he needs answers, but what he uncovers along the way could bring an end to life on Earth as we know it. Don’t miss this first Double-Sized issue!

Comics for Kids

Angry Birds Comics #1 (IDW)
From #1 paid mobile app of all time now to print, Angry Birds makes its comic debut! Don’t miss out on the fun-filled, action pack stories.

Cartoon Network: Super Secret Crisis War #1 (IDW)
The devious demon Aku has called together a League of Extraordinary Villains from the different cartoon universes. When their evil robots show up in the worlds of The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory and Ed, Edd, and Eddy, it’s up to these heroes to band together and defeat the League’s dastardly plot.

Upcoming Trade Paperbacks

Seconds (Ballantine Books)
Bryan Lee O’Malley, author and artist of the Scott Pilgram series is back with a new full-colour standalone graphic novel. Seconds is a complex and novelistic story about a young restaurant owner named Katie who, after being visited by a magical apparition, is given a second chance at love and to undo her wrongs.

Attack on Titan: No Regrets Vol 1 (Kodansha Comics)

The prequel to the popular Attack on Titan, delves into the past of Levi and Erwin. A focused drama that follows Levi’s journey from a life of crime to becoming humanity’s strongest guardian, and his friendship with the ruthless Commander Erwin.

Toys, Statues, and Novelties

Star Wars: Imperial Espresso Mugs
A giftbox set of four miniaturized mugs from the Death Star Canteen, perfectly sized for an espresso

Batman Arkham Origins Play Arts - Kai
These improved versions of the popular Play Arts figures have a larger scale, more detail, more points of articulation, and addition parts. These are some of their finest figures yet! Each figures stand roughly 9 ½” tall and comes with accessories in a window box packaging.

Sandman & Death Bookends (Second Edition)
Based on bestselling author Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Death these unforgettable characters would make the perfect finishing touch to any Sandman library. Standing approximately 8 ½” tall these limited edition pieces are sure to sell quick.

These are the faces of Heroes' Beacon

SPORTS

Formula D

Formula D is a high stakes Formula One type racing game where the players race simulated cars with the hope of crossing the finish line first.
The game mechanisms are a simple race, get to the finish line first! However, players have to use a significant amount of planning, and rely on quite a bit of luck

With only one race to go here are last weeks results in Interlagos-

Jeff M 1st (31)
Michael W 2nd (14)
Rick H 3rd (36)
Josh L 4th (35)
Andrew L 5th (12)
Jeff H 6th (37)
Brian G 7th (25)
Kale H 8th (35)
Robert H 9th (20)
Josh L Did Not Race (2)

April 7th will be the final in Zandvoort on the double-track!

Loyalist City Blood Bowl

A Games Workshop Fantasy Football game that stands as something of a cross between American football, rugby and all out war.

The new season is upon us!

Here are the matches coming up!

April 7
Elfchester Thyme Lords vs Team Sullivan
Alexslamdria Niledrivers vs Team Alex White
Warprat Warriors vs Slaaneshgrad Kompressor
East Side Dragons vs New Orcleans Taints

April 21
(except we are closed, so these matchup dates will be decided by the team coaches)
Slaaneshgrad Kompressor vs Elfchester Thyme Lords
Team Sullivan vs East Side Dragons
Team Alex White vs Warprat Warriors
New Orcleans Taints vs Alexslamdria Niledrivers

*Ladies Night will be an introduction to Magic: The Gathering on April 10 and Open Gaming April 24
*Between the Panels will be reading Captain America: Winter Soldier on April 3rd
* Between the Panels will be reading Superman: Birthright on April 17

East Coast Comic Expo is an all-ages, day-long convention organized by dedicated Fanboys and Fangirls to celebrate comic books and comic book culture. We'll have industry professional writers & artists joining us to celebrate, along with local vendors and many talented local creators and artisans as well.
Mark your calendar for May 17th, 2014 and get ready to join us at the Crossman Community Centre (former Kay Arena) in Moncton!

P.S- We also have tickets in store!

Check out ECCE online here

International TableTop Day is a celebration for all the fans of tabletop gaming. A single day where the whole world is brought together in a common purpose of spending time together and having fun.

Join us for Table Top Day at Heroes' Beacon for a full day of gaming from 9AM until Midnight! That's right- we are staying open late for this special event!

The official website is here and the official hash tag is #tabletopday

Check out the details here

Our team is on a mission to save kids through games, and we need your help. Each of us has chosen our local Children's Miracle Network Hospital where thousands of children are treated each year, regardless of their family's ability to pay. These kids are facing scary stuff like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and injuries from accidents to name just a few. On October 18th, 2014, we'll be part of a huge international celebration of the social impact of gamers with Extra Life and it's our sincere hope that you'll find it in your heart to support us with a monthly pledge or one-time gift that will go directly to that team member's chosen hospital.

We are running a variety of events in store to support Extra Life. Please contact us for details and join us on this amazing journey.

Thank you for caring for our kids!

To join our team search for Heroes' Beacon
*from the Extra-life webpage

Tips and Tricks

Heroes United launched in late February and everyone has had some awesome things to say about it. It's pretty much the DC Dec Building Game with new cards, new art and the option to mix the games together. And I love it!

BUT! And that's a big BUT!

Kyle Rayner broke the game... Who is Kyle and why does he matter? If you haven't had the opportunity to play yet (drop by the store, I'm sure someone has a copy we can introduce you to!) Kyle Rayner is a Hero. He is the 4th Green Lantern of Earth. (Thank you Google! I didn't know he was the fourth).

Kyle Rayner
Hero, 7 power cost, 2 victory points

+3 Power
For each Power Ring in your discard pile or that you play or have played this turn, +2 Power
If you play or have played three Power Rings this turn, you win the game

Yeah. You read that right. Win the game with 4 cards no matter what your victory point total is. Start saving to buy all those power rings.

But wait. Isn't getting Kyle and three rings in your hand rather difficult? I mean, what are the odds of that coming together? Probably not great, which makes him less powerful.

You can still win the game with Kyle and a couple of Plastic Mans... Yup...

Plastic Man
Hero, 3 power cost, 1 victory point

Choose an equipment in your discard pile or that you have played this turn. Plastic Man becomes a copy of that card (and is now also an equipment)

So now you can win with your power rings in your discard pile.

Game over.

What are your thoughts? Have you pulled this off?

Coffee Flavour of the Month!
Spicy Mayan Chocolate
Inspired from the chocolate crafted by the Mayans more than 2500 years ago, this coffee combines the rich aroma of cocoa with the tangy flavour of cinnamon.

What would you want people to know about you?:

- Short answer? That I am a huge nerd. I'm directly involved with the following clubs at Heroes Beacon: Magic League, Ladies Night, and the Between the Panel Book Club. I am then in the following events: Infinity League, Bloodbowl League, the Descent campaign, and the Rifts Campaign. Guess what I am saying is that I am a rather large and active nerd in our community and that I am always willing to talk about new ideas or just about any geeky hobby.

You're involved with Magic: The Gathering, Ladies' Night AND Between the Panels Book Club. Pretty diverse set of hobbies. What about these events drew you in ?

- The simple answer of what drew me to these events was developing a deeper community. The Magic League grew from a desire to play with our group of friends who didn't know each other, Between the Panels grew from a want to read more graphic novels and have a place where it could be less intimidating to jump into comics, and Ladies' Night grew from the need to have a welcoming environment for Ladies to be nerds or to become nerds.

Why did you think there was a need for Ladies' Night?

- Great question and one that I am very passionate about. Ladies' Night, as I said earlier grew from a desire to have a more welcoming environment to gain access to nerd culture. When I would talk about all my nerdy activities that I do and run I'd often get the response "Tina, I'd love to get more involved, but I'm so intimidated/ had a negative experience at the local comic book store". This answer and my own experiences of not feeling welcome/ of only being someone's girlfriend/ not a real nerd/ how can a girl like comics impassioned me to start a Ladies' Night where it would be run by ladies for ladies who were new the particular nerd activity or for us seasoned lady nerds. I thought about it for months and had many debates with people on why it was needed. Finally I got the courage to start up the event and knew that Chris and Steve's store was the place to do it. I've always been welcomed there, never felt as though I was less of a customer or that my opinions didn't matter as much. I approached Chris and Steve and they welcomed the idea with open arms, and I've been running the events ever since and helping break the ice for ladies to get into more activities with the fear of being judged or left out.

We will be spotlighting one of our fantastic volunteers every month! If you think someone should be in the spotlight, let us know!

Visit Us Online

Some final thoughts on this issue....

I just wanted to take this space to say thank you- to Steve and Chris for working so hard at the store, to Greg for doing up fantastic content for the website, to Matt for working weekends and nights, to everyone who runs events with us.

When we were planning Heroes' Beacon, we wanted a place for everyone to play and with all your help, we have it.

Is there something you loved about this issue? Something you could live without? Something we could add? Let us know! We value your feedback.

Until next month!

Tara