SteveThaiBinh

Well, I've never played a pen and paper role-playing game, but comparing the kind of class/level system in Neverwinter Nights to the freer system in Morrowind, I think I prefer the NWN system. Because your character has a fixed profession, other characters in the story can react to that. It allows the game to restrict certain quests to certain classes, increasing replayability. So as an exercise in pure role-playing, perhaps the Morrowind system is better, but as part of a whole-game experience, NWN is better for me. Potentially. Obviously, I'm not actually holding up the NWN campaign as a shining example of this.

I think they were trying to make increasing the size of your civilization a case of diminishing returns. That's the only explanation I can think of. The problem is, it didn't work - it's still usually the largest Civ that wins the game, which to me is quite boring, especially as I tend to play as a pacifist, and only take territory if I'm attacked first. It's also counter-intuitive - there is some link between the size of a country and its power, but it's not as clear-cut as the game makes it. I'd rather have a 'quality of life' victory - that by getting all your citizens university-educated, with access to all luxuries and very happy, you could win.

It was funny in 1999 when Americans were discussing who should be the 'Man of the Century', and in the UK we were discussing who should be the 'Man of the Milliennium'. But are there advantages to having less history?

Well, yes and no, but mostly yes. Historically, the differences were important, but where serfdom and slavery occur in the world today (and they do), there's little practical difference.

Bush used the word 'crusade', and while it's likely that he doesn't really know what the word means, it's still his own fault that he attracts this criticism. He's also closely allied with Christian extremists who are hostile to Islam. Is it unfair to judge him by who he chooses for friends? Maybe. Happy Birthday USA. Have a wonderful day, and try not to invade anyone.

Hopefully the designers of CivIV will have learned a few new ideas from playing Galactic Civilizations. I'd like to see some of the same diplomacy options, too - like requiring your enemy to make peace with your ally at the same time as with you. It would be nice to be able to negotiate 'federations' - more durable than alliances - with small, weak civs in the later stages of the game (in effect, swallowing them up peacefully).

With the Piccadilly line blocked, I think the best way of countering your Red Baron Offense is by opting for the Ishihara Repost, which blocks passage through Aldgate for two moves. Therefore, I choose Greenford. I believe that King's Cross now remains wild until an arregalic play is made - can anyone confirm this?

OK. I'll start with Colliers Wood. This opening has fallen out of fashion in recent decades, owing to the uxarian undertones, and the ease of the Antemp defense. However, recent modifications of rules (2002) allow me to deny my opponents that defense by declaring in advance that Kensington Restrictions apply. An interesting new twist to an old classic, I think.

Romances between party members, too. Atton and Mira? Visas and Mandalore? Disciple and Kreia? NPCs who leave your party to get married would be interesting too. I haven't played Baldur's Gate, but voice over is a limiting factor, yes. Then again, so is everything else - like having 12 potential party members. I'd like romance and relationships to have a higher priority - as part of a well-told story.

Hmmm, Deus Ex didn't work for me. I don't have the skills to shoot the moving thingies. Feel free to laugh: I am currently replaying the King's Quest games, up to KQ6, off the original floppies no less, in preparation for the arrival in the next few days of KQ7. Yep, I found it for four pounds on Amazon, and thought that as I'd played the rest of the series, I might as well try it. Interesting to play the AGDI VGA version of KQ2, which is substantially changed over the original. It was good, though I kind of missed the bridge you can only cross seven times.

Yes, if you're going to have meaningful romance in an RPG, there has to be a choice, depending on what kind of character you're playing. Either that or you start with a fixed romance (i.e. you're already married), and your choice is either to keep the relationship up or let it slide. Kotor 1 was a first step - as a female character you had a choice between Carth and Juhani, and for the want of a little more development (restored by a mod), the Carth romance had a huge impact on the ending of the DS game. Needed a lot of expansion, though. It is tricky both to have a choice and to make the romance storyline vital to the game as a whole, but I thought Obsidian were an adventurous bunch. Let's see what they can come up with.

And yet the fact that your character is able to have serious relationships - I include friendships as well as romances - is important for developing the character. Role-playing is all about choices, and while stats and class/profession will continue to be important, there are other aspects of these games which need to be developed. My impression - and it is only an impression, of course, - is that lack of romances is the third most-regretted aspect of Kotor 2 (after the cut ending and the bugs). That's still pretty high up on the list. Romances and relationships are more than just another optional sidequest.

I don't see any reason why you can't have an interspecies romance. It makes the game a little more complex to design, but I think there are enough players who get satisfaction from romancing their characters to justify it. I've heard it said that when it's crunch time, romance is the first thing to go in a game - I think it's time developers reconsider that.

I agree. More non-humans all round - I appreciate that people from English-speaking backgrounds are usually impatient of subtitles, but Yoda's species speaks English/common, so no problem there. Kotor 2 was far too humanocentric (Mandalorians count as human, yes). It surely cannot be that difficult to have several species as possibilities for your character.

MORNINGTON CRESCENT!!! ) :D (w00t) (w00t) (w00t) (w00t) You should have gone Wood Green. That was fun. We could have another game later, but it works even better with four players. Jaguars4ever and Darkside, are you up for a game? Anyone else?

Buying Fairtrade coffee (CafeDirect) is a much better way of helping tackle poverty than today's Live8 spectacle. I prefer TeaDirect, though. Didn't coffee overtake tea as Britain's favourite drink a few years ago?

I think it's time to shake things up a bit. It's a while since I reversed the rotation of a Dollis Hill Loop, but it's a strategy that's worked for me in the past. Interestingly, as the flange rules are in operation, that opens up the First Stanmore Offense to me (which would normally only be accessible via Maida Vale). Stanmore it is.

Morning. It just goes to show how sleepy I was last night, I almost posted a move without receiving yours, which would have triggered a Teybridge Default, handing you two free moves. Dollis Hill is a good move, certainly - I've always thought the loop opens up as many opportunities as risks. I'll try Farringdon.

I'll need to ponder this - it could be tricky. I'll post my next move in the morning. Does anyone have any suggestions?

No, that's fine, I'd forgotten about the Collorary - thinking about it, I believe White v Pemberton took place on Australia Day. It is very sneaky of you to suggest Turnham Green, but there's no way I'm falling for that! I think you'll find Ruislip South rather difficult to counter - there are some interesting subtleties involving several of the Actons.

I'd like to query that. As Richmond is a terminus, can you invoke the Lee Amendments without passing through Knightsbridge first? I remember this issue coming up in White v Pemberton last year, but I can't recall how it was resolved.

I don't know of a good version of the rules on the internet. You could ask for the official rulebook at a bookshop, but the best way to learn is just to play. Feel free to join in, but remember what I said above about latecomers.

Too right! Spam mail makes me feel loved.

Rats. I suppose I walked straight into that. Well, that's a clear blocking move, entirely within the rules of course, but it only leaves me with two legal moves. Obviously, Colindale would be sheer suicide because it opens up the Second Stanmore Offence for you, so I'm compelled to go with Burnt Oak.