Trivia at Strawberry Hills Hotel

Wednesday 30th November 2013 at 7:30pm




The Strawberry Hills Hotel according to their website believe hat they have ran their Wednesday trivia night for 12 years.  I guess all the alchol fumes eventually take an effect as in before 2012 it ran on Tuesdays.  Irrespective of this, it is a stalwart of the trivia scene and has a large number of regulars to go with this.  Trivia starts at 7:30pm.

For further details on the location of the pub, refer to http://sydneyspubs.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-strawberry-hills-hotel-surry-hills.html

The Walking Dead Board Game at The Nerd Cave

Sunday 20th October 2013 at 8pm

The Nerd Cave has upgraded their boardgame stock to now include The Walking Dead Board Game, which is based on the comic book series rather than the television show.  As per the gamemakers description, the objective of the game is to 'with only one companion at the start of the game, each player must struggle together resources, find other survivors and eventually find a refuge'.  At the start of the game, each player selects between 6 characters (Rick, Andrea, Dale, Glenn, Shane and Tyreese) each of which has a different special ability.  In addition to the six main characters, there is an additional 23 potential followers, each which also has a special ability, you start with one of these and as you progress around the game board you may come across more who will also follow you.

Each turn, each player moves up to three places in any direction on the game board, from which they may collect three types of resources, ammunition, gas or food.  Each time a player lands on a game board tile with this resource present, they then draw an encounter card.  An encounter card will involve performing some sort of challenge, which most commonly involve either fighting a zombie attack, rolling a specific dice roll or using up a specific type of resource.  The benefits of an encounter card include the acquisition of additional followers, extra resources, inventory items and the opportunity to improve the health of your current survivors.  Each time a board tile is passed through by one of the six players, this tile then becomes a zombie tile, which if landed on again by a player will immediately involve flipping this tile to see how many zombies will then have to be fought.

The zombie attack is played out with dice, with one being rolled by each survivor (main character and any followers present).  These dice have different potential rolls of which some directly kill a certain number of zombies present.  There is three different colour dices present; the blue (representing heroic attributes), the red (representing fighter aspects) and the green (representing scavenger aspects).  Each character may have one or more of each type of dice to roll per attack.  For example, Shane rolls one blue and two reds per attack, whilst Carl rolls a single red.  All the dice listed on each of the characters and followers cards within a group are rolled at the same time, and then the results are used to fight off the zombie attack (if possible).  If a zombie is not killed, then this attacks the character who then takes a fatigue token of which each character can take a maximum of three prior to dying.


Setting Up a New Game

1. Each player receives a resource sheet which is used to record resources held, write a 1 beside each resource type to represent the single piece of resource each player starts with.  
2. Randomly draw a character card for each player involved.  
3. Randomly draw a follower card for each character. 
4. Place the character on the allotted space related to that character on the gameboard and follow any steps (eg. extra resources) listed on the followers card.  
5. Three locations cards are drawn for everyone and placed on the gameboard, and an additional one location card is drawn by each player and kept secretly as this is a location of a safehaven that only there character is able to get to.  
6. The dice pool is determined for each character and his follower, the corresponding dice roll is then rolled by each player with the person who has rolled the most action going first. Play then continues clockwise.  

Turn Order

1. Use food to remove any fatigue from your characters.  
2. Move up to three places in any direction, placing a zombie token in each spot that is moved through.
3. If you move onto a zombie token spot, movement is paused whilst a zombie attack occurs.  Once this has been resolved, you may continue moving afterwards.  
4. Once either a location or a resource tile has been landed on, movement is then ceased for the turn and an encounter card is drawn for each resource or alternativately the location scouting instructions are followed for that location. 

The full game rules are listed here - http://zmangames.com/rulebooks/Walking_Dead.pdf

$1 Hot Dogs at The Soda Factory

Tuesday 22nd October 2013 at 5:30pm

Dinner at The Workers

Wednesday 22nd October 2013 at 6:30pm

Another long lonely night on stage for Nic

An absence of anyone ever in the Unity Hall Hotel, makes me suspect that they are all hiding away upstairs in the pub's sisters bar, The Workers.  This is the bar which supplies the questionable sliders and burgers for the downstairs bar, but I am assuming that all the best stuff is kept for their own customers upstairs and consequently am willing to give their $3 tacos on Wednesday night a chance.  The tacos are normally $5.50 and depressingly we missed out on seeing our favourite comedian Nic Cappa who was playing there the other week.  The tacos on offer are the following;

• - Nemo Gonzales (battered Blue Eye, slaw, salsa pico de gallo and baja sauce)
• - Soft Shell Coq (grilled chicken, slaw, salsa guacamole and chipotle mayo)
• - Shrimp on the barbie (grilled marinated prawns, slaw, mojo verde and scallions)
• - Pulled Porky Pig (slow cooked pork shoulder, red slaw, pico de piña asado and coriander)

Irrespective of the stupid names, they look pretty decent for $3 as in you receive three prawns in the shrimp on the barbie one.

The address is as follows;

The Workers
1/292 Darling St
Balmain, NSW

Trivia at Unity Hall Hotel

Tuesday 23rd October 2013 at 7:30pm

Clearly this trivia has the highest probability of winning a prize in Sydney, as with prizes for the top three places and average attendance being around five teams, you are as close to guaranteed winning something as you could possibly get.  The prizes are also nothing to sneeze at either, with $100 for the winner, $50 for second place and a fine $5 bottle of wine for those coming in third.  They also have a free drink for the true or false section, if the temporary lady hosting it is able to find the questions this week.

The previously dominate Black Caviar is sadly struggling in recent weeks, due to we suspect the tragic passing of their intelligent players. The remaining members it would appear are merely coming for the free sliders as budget cuts at their nursing home has meant that this is their cafeteria on Wednesday night.

Pink Lemonade in comparison have found a new lease of life with the addition of a trivia genius who is playing the long game in picking up girls through accruing an endless supply of bar tab winnings, which they proudly display on their table to intimidate us lesser rivals. Those arrogant prats! We are hoping that in the near future after his attempts to get them drunk on these winnings and back in his bed, it will become much too awkward for any of them to return.  Alternatively hopefully someone else in the pub may choose to shoot him as he argues with the host over the grammatical errors within her questions.

It is unclear as to whom the host will be this week, whether we shall see the return of Brett "Guitar" Murphy or we shall continue with our lovely female host, but it is important to get there this week as given the attendance numbers I do not believe it will be continuing for too much longer.  I book in first sip on our wine if we are successful in winning it once again.

For those curious these are the full questions from last week;

1. Name two performers from the US, whom due to lack of sales have cancelled their tour
2. What is the venue for the 2013 rugby league world cup final, which is famous for two other sports.
3. What are the first names of the two famous Attenborough brothers?
4. From what song are the following lyrics, 'Though I tried to resist being last on your list, but no other man would do'?
5. Which war is the movie 'Red Badge of Courage' set?
6. What is the colloquial term given to the poor immigrants to Australia after world war 2/
7. Is Magners Cider from a. Dublin b. Tipperary c. Cork
8. Why is Anna Burke not happy?
9. What is the Duchess of Cornwall's previous name?
10. Inbee Park is World No 1 in something, what is it?
11. Name the song
12. Who wrote Frankenstein and also who wrote the original Dracula?
13. Name the song
14. Who is the current coach of the Australian rugby league team
15. What are the six biggest beer drinkers per person according to wikipedia?
16. Which of the following is true
1. Both Richard and David Attenorough are knighted, David was knighted first. 
2. Both Richard and David Attenorough are knighted, Richard was knighted first. 
3. Only David is knighted
4. Only Richard is knighted
17. Why is Muriel Matters from South Australia famous and why are they making a film about her?
1. Fought for the ending of WWI
2. Fought for the Women's vote
3. Fought to end the death penalty
18. What year was the Bodyguard movie released?
19. What movie is about two women trying to get out of Porpoise Spit?
20. Why is Michael Williamson going to jail?
21. What is the national flower of Scotland?
22. What is the main family's last name in Downton Abbey?
23. What movie did Russel Crowe play a mental damaged genius?
24. What country is Belvedere vodka from?
25. What recent Sci Fi movie stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock
26. In the Paul Simon song, how many ways is there to leave your lover
27. Who won the recent F1 Grand Prix and where was it staged?
28. By what name is the Irish poet William Butler commonly known?
29. Name the song
30. What are the five countries where Russian is an official language
31. Name any two members of the sex pistols
32. What are the two longest rivers in Europe
33. What word describes both 'grumpy and childish' and a '2 wheel horse cart'
34. What Australian city has a London circle within it?
35. What two word term is used to describe the US government credit card limit
36. What book was Harper Lee's only novel
37. Which year did the Fox network start a. 1986 b. 1990 c. 1993
38. Who is the new deputy leader of the labour party
39. What town's name is an aboriginal phrase meaning place of many crows?
40. What is the chemical symbol for nitrogen?
41. What do Arabica and Robusta have in common
42. Which car company is using the phrase 'Calling all the heroes' in their marketing
43. Name the song
44. Who was previously married to Aaron Nayar?
45. Which three 1970s band have a greatest hits compilation currently in the Australian top 50 album charts? and what two drivers won the Bathurst 1000 and in what car were they driving?

Jackpot Questions

1. What was the first movie to sell over 1 million copies on VHS?
2. Why is Malcolm Scott Carpenter famous?
3. Which oscar winning female played the godson of another oscar winning actor? 

The address of the venue is as follows;

Unity Hall Hotel
292 Darling Street
Balmain NSW

Anthony Mundine vs Sugar Shane Mosley at Unity Hall Hotel

Wednesday 23rd October 2013 at 9:30pm

Anthony Mundine finally takes on an opponent that is one of the greats.  Sadly it was 10 years too late, as Shane Mosley is only a shell of his former self, to the point that many in the US believe that he should be banned from continuing to fight.  Don't worry though, this fight is in Australia so all is good, and I am sure Danny Green will be willing and able to fight him in his next fight over in Perth.


Sugar Shane Mosley went undefeated for eight years at the start of his career, dominating the lightweight and welterweight divisions, including his famous victory over Oscar De La Hoya at his prime.  His first loss came against the enigmatic Vernon Forrest, who went on to beat him a second time in the rematch immediately after.  He followed this with his second victory over Oscar De La Hoya, however the two losses in a row soon after against Winky Wight appeared to take the heart out of Sugar Shane Mosley, and even though he was successful in beating Fernando Vargas twice and Antonio Margarito once, he clearly was not the fighter that made many believe that he could have been the greatest ever.  Since those fights he has been a name for fighters to either pump up the resume with or sell a warm up fight to the pay per view masses.  His most recent fight was a victory over a little known Mexican but prior to this he had three losses, all to fellow greats of the sport in the form of Saul Alvarez, Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather.  As much as Anthony Mundine may see this as a easy method by which to gain a small amount of attention in the US, he clearly is not in the same class as those that Shane Mosley has lost to and this will not be an easy fight for him.

Through the assistance of a bit of money, Anthony Mundine has been able to weasel a wbc international light middleweight belt to fight for.  Not the main wbc light middleweight belt which is held by Floyd Mayweather, this is essentially an interim belt but does give Mundine some chance at being a warm up fight for Mayweather in the event that he wins this.  Shane Mosley will be seeing this as a nice payday and an easy victory over an over-hyped opponent.

Expect either a mid round demolition by Shane Mosley or a ten round avoidance by Anthony Mundine using his superior speed leading to a somewhat controversial victory.

We shall be tuning in at our trivia venue, the Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain which the Foxtel website hopefully reliably tells me is showing it.  If this is untrue, we should have ample time to make it to the nearby Monkey Bar or Balmain Hotel, as we would all know Mundine loves to drag out an undercard and the main event is unlikely to start until after 10:30pm.  The undercard has yet to be named, however due to Mundine's issues with just about every trainer in Australia it is unlikely to be anyone too notable, with the exception of Blake Ferguson's four round boxing debut.

The address of the venue is as follows;

Unity Hall Hotel
292 Darling Street
Balmain NSW

The Shooting Academy (Auburn) Open Day

Saturday 26th October (10am - 4pm)



Time to get in touch with your inner Rambo and fire off some pistols at the Auburn Gun Club open day. The day runs from 10am to 4pm, but expect some queues so for those who wish to avoid this should aim to get in early.

The day is not free as you will have to pay for all the ammunition that you use, but is much cheaper than doing it at a paid shooting range with all staff present being volunteers.

Unlike other gun club open days as you are paying for the bullets, you are given the option of shooting a broader range of pistols as the costs for the more expensive bullets are covered by yourself.   The following options are going to present on the day;

• .22 Ruger pistol, the ubiqutious gun club open day pistol due to the cheap cost of bullets. The gun club gives you two 10 bullet packages to choose from, that is reloaded bullets (bullets that have been fired and hand reloaded with new gunpowder etc) for $5 and factory bullets for $12 (bullets purchased from a factory and not previously fired).

• 9mm pistol, which is the standard calibre of the US military.  Bullets are priced at $12 for reloads and $17 for factory.

• .38 Special, the standard US police force caliber into the 90s', consequently this will bring back all your cop show fantasies from childhood.  Bullets are priced at $12 for reloads and $17 for factory.  

• .357 magnum, is not the classic gun of Dirty Harry fame as that is a .44 magnum, however it is nevertheless iconic.  Bullets are priced at $12 for reloads and $17 for factory.  

• .357 Rifle, which is fitted with a lever action for reloading.  Bullets are as per the above .357 magnum. 

The day requires a drivers license or passport as identification, a lack of a police record (in relation to violent crimes) and enclosed footwear.  As their flyer outlines there will also be refreshments available (http://www.shootingacademy.com/2013%20Open%20Day%20Flyer.pdf).

The address is as follows;

The Shooting Academy

16 - 18 Byrne Street

Auburn, NSW, 2144