by Rachel Carpenter

It's been a long day. 3 videos done. Hopefully. 8 or so more to go. *sigh* And the BGG pages for Eight Elephants and Fireworks for the 4th still haven't been approved... *double sigh*

I'm also behind on Mausritter and need to check in with the next VGG of the Week to ensure the forthcoming hand off goes smoothly...

But, something unexpected was in my Geekmail Box when I finally logged into BGG this evening: I was awarded [microbadge=33491]!! I'm honored and humbled and after a long day of fighting with a computer- it's nice to be appreciated :geek_heart:.

Game Over On borrowed time...

Happy Wednesday and happy playing!
-Rachel

Thank you for reading my blog. If you liked it; then please click the green thumb [microbadge=23724] at the top of the page. If you really liked it; then please subscribe.

by Lowell Kempf

The Adventures of Peter Wheat was a sword and sorcery comic book about a tiny prince living among talking animals, created by Walt Kelly of Pogo fame as a promotion for a bakery.

Wow. That sentence has so much to unpack. In fact, while I didn’t find it a bad read at all, the story of The Adventures of Peter Wheat is more interesting than the comic itself.

Peter Wheat was a home-delivery bakery service, like the milk man only for baked goods. From what I can tell, the comics were a free giveaway item for services that sold Peter Wheat products.

Possibly because it wasn’t published by a regular comic book publisher, details about the series seem all over the place. It seems there was also Peter Wheat News, which included mini stories about Peter and his world. Some sources say that the series lasted 35 issues. Others say 66 but that Walt Kelly only wrote and drew the first 35.

I found out about the series because the first sixteen issues were part of Humble Bundle I picked up. Looking into it, the entire series has been reprinted by Hermes Press. What is impressive about that is older articles that I read felt that some issues were lost media and gone forever.

When I actually sat down to read the volumes, it did not feel like the Walt Kelly of Pogo Possum. What I often forget is that Kelly got his start at Walt Disney, both as an animator and working on Disney comic books. I think Peter Wheat reflects his Disney work more than his Pogo work.

While it has twee elements that feel like they escaped from Dot and Tot of Merryland (a book that scarred me so badly it is my default for twee), the Adventures of Peter Wheat is very much an adventure comic. Peter is the inch-tall prince of a kingdom of talking animals by a wheat field and must fend off various threats, particularly the Hornet Kingdom. (Dragonel, queen of the hornets and daughter of the Grand Wizard would totally be Peter’s love interest if he wasn’t a little kid)

For me, no character defined the dichotomy better than Sammy Sweet. He lives in the land of Sugar Bun, uses the wheat from the wheat field to make treats, and leads his bakers into battle with a sword.

Two things that really struck me were that there is a lot of continuity in the stories, including multi-issues stories and that there is no reference to the actual Peter Wheat bakery. You know, this business the whole thing is an ad for. When Spider-Man was promoting Hostess, he was throwing twinkies at Doctor Octopus. Not Peter Wheat. Just swords and talking animals.

Honestly, if I didn’t already know and if there wasn’t an ad at the end, I’d never have realized it was a promotional comic.

The Adventures of Peter Wheat is well written but not earth shaking. But the fact that it exists at all is kind of cool.

A new episode has been added to the database: Hunting Party Q&A: Fresh Prey

A new episode has been added to the database: Episode #7: Live, Love, Slaughter! The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide!

A new episode has been added to the database: #236. How D&D's New UA Misses the Point of Playing Evil Characters!

by M Charles

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A new episode has been added to the database: FRONTIERS - Session 21: As Above, So Below (Part III)

A new episode has been added to the database: Table Talk - Interview with Olivia (Cozy Crypt)

A new episode has been added to the database: 78 - D&D in Suburbia (Ryan and Serenity Springs)

A new episode has been added to the database: Somnogenesis: A Look at the Far Realm - Episode 188

A new episode has been added to the database: Portrait in Crystal Discussion

by Jessica

Follow the life of a bonsai in a unique tracing and solo journaling adventure as it grows from page to page in The Bonsai Diary.

Spoiler Alert

There are tracing and writing prompts on each page. This post covers the first few without revealing too much about the journaling aspect, but be aware that there’s a little more than a general overview. Surprises can pop up and although knowing about them may not exactly qualify as a spoiler, just be aware that these pages always appear in the same order.



I first learned of The Bonsai Diary from its designer, and I was intrigued from the start! Solo journaling RPGs can be excellent, yet this promises a more unique experience. Tracing through the pages with brush strokes, which can simply come from a pen or marker, follows the life of a bonsai, complete with writing prompts! Onto a new, quiet sort of journey.

My Best Teapot Yet

And then it happened… I turned the page and took on what I considered to be a bigger challenge. You might think I had another teapot sitting around, because why not? Ha ha!

Instead, this is actually the other side of this teapot, with a slightly different scene and a faded post office label.

Again, I’m no artist, yet I was rather proud of how this turned out. And my bonsai seedling! It grew again, and I followed the instructions to attempt to add foliage.

I still love looking at this little drawing. The writing prompts were also excellent, yet this might say it all.



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