Guard Dog

I'll be so happy when this one is over... one way or the other.

Playing a Kensai in BG definitely requires a different strategy I've found, They can't just wade into a fight and hack away like the other fighters can. They do a lot of damage but they take damage faster than give it. In the Nashkel mines he got chewed up and spit out by Kobolds because he just can't kill enough of them fast as needed. I'm going to try adding 2 traditional fighters, maybe Kagain & Shar-Teel and have then doing frontal assaults and use the Kensai as a flanker. Has anyone tried this class before and have any thoughts?

They were mostly British anyway.

The downside is incompetence, either willful or otherwise. You can force someone to do something but you can't force them to do it well or put a real effort in. Not saying you won't have that anyway. I'm sure you ran into a few "career" Lance Corporals along the way. I think they are the exception more than the rule. People who chose to serve tend to serve far better. Espirt de corps is important. And if we learned nothing else from the years between WW2 & Post-Vietnam we saw you will never get that from a conscripted force.

While I can only speak for myself I suspect anyone else who has spent even a day in the military will agree that conscription is a bad thing. For all the benefits and opportunities military service offers, it is not an easy life. You have to want to be there to do well at it. And you need to be surrounded by people who want to be there. But as to Bruce's comment, he is the only one I remember reading on this forum who has actually suggested criminal prosecution for "thinking" wrong. It's hard to tell when he's being serious or not. But Bruce, kidding or not you are not a reliable voice for freedom of choice and personal liberty around here.

If I may opine on this point. Barack Obama has called people very much like me bitter, small minded, he says I cling to guns and religion because I'm afraid of people who don't look like me. He has insulted my religion when he spoke at Georgetown last year. He has insulted an organization I belong to, the VFW. He said people like me were incapable of thinking for ourselves. He has openly insulted my patriotisim and believes I am a likely terrorist because of my military service. GD I also find many of these accusations against Obama hard to believe, can you produce any links? I just prefer to read these types of charges in my own time? Have you read nothing I've linked here the last seven years?

Plus she is not with Stannis to be sacrificed. One of two things happened. If Ramsay wrote the pink letter then Stannis lost at Winterfell and is dead. If he didn't then Stannis won and is alive. I think Mance Rayder wrote the letter because h referenced Val & the baby. Ramsay could not know about either of them. Whoever wrote that letter was at Castle Black recently. I have a new rule, I won't read any book from a series until the series is done.

I've been saying for years this is the best possible outcome. No one gets screwed when the government can't move. Oh, there are a million ways that people can get screwed by inaction, too. Expiration of authorizations, disaster relief, annual spending bills, the whole debt limit fiasco, etc. This logic made more sense before the political polarization of the last 20-ish years. Divided government used to ensure compromise, and allow for significant change only when there was broad agreement that it was quite necessary (e.g., the '86 re-write of the tax code). Now, even things that are broadly acknowledged as necessary don't get done, to prevent the other side from "getting credit" for it, and you have a significant rump of nihilists in one party willing to go so far as to hold a gun to the head of the global economy (i.e., threaten Treasury default) just to prove how badass they are. (Also, I presume you'll be voting for Hillary, then? The GOP's advantage in the state-by-state gerrymandering game pretty much locks the House in their column until the next Census, so you'll need a Democrat in the White House to preserve your desired state of affairs...) You know better than that! I'm voting for Gary Johnson. Someone has to.Clinton or Trump will be the next President but not with my help! As long as Congress is divided and the President is weak I'll sleep batter. Although you are right gridlocked government isn't a good thing, it's just the lesser of two evils.

I've been working around the house, shoveling out the rabbit pens, cut the grass, weed the garden, cut firewood, and "graded" the driveway in. Now I'm sitting on the porch drinking iced tea and listening to the Rays/Twins game on the radio. Life is good.

Excellent point.

I've been saying for years this is the best possible outcome. No one gets screwed when the government can't move.

Boo hoo hoo. Way to play the victim card. In all seriousness, get a grip. Let's see here. I posted three paragraphs to support one point. You chose to take one of those, absent the context of the other two, and get a little zinger in. That means that despite your impressive command if the English language you either failed to grasp the point I was making or just wanted to get a little zinger in. Since I seriously doubt it was the former all I can say is hope you got a chuckle out of it at least. And where did I say I had an impressive understanding of the English language? I stated that I had a GENERAL understanding and BASIC command of the English language. Gee whiz folks! And yes, I wanted to get the zinger in. But I have to admit that I was more than a little put off by you actually insinuating that Obama has victimized you and that people like you don't break out in protest, assault, and riot over your perceived slights, because you're not animals. That's the Minority Victim in me lashing back out. I didn't say victimized. I said insulted. If he had victimized me it would imply he caused me harm. Donald Trump didn't harm anyone either. He insulted them. He is what he is, an idiot with a microphone that says stupid things. Nothing he says, now or in the future give anyone license to destroy property that isn't theirs or assault people. Epecially people not named Donald Trump. Because they are not animals. Until they start to act like animals. And they are. Screw them. I don't pretend to know you well but I'd be very suprised to hear you had actually assaulted someone over a political difference. Talked to them about it, sure. Debated them, of course. Shouted them down over it, fine. But that is where the line is. Once you damage their property or person you don't have a point anymore... you are just an animal. And you had better f-----g believe I have found many of Obama's comments about veterans and people who don't dream of a world where the government controls every aspect of life to be VERY insulting. But if he stopped by my house today he would be as safe in my home as he would be in his own.

Maybe this guy is overanalyzing but did enjoy his take on the faceless men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkdMGgh87nw

Boo hoo hoo. Way to play the victim card. In all seriousness, get a grip. Let's see here. I posted three paragraphs to support one point. You chose to take one of those, absent the context of the other two, and get a little zinger in. That means that despite your impressive command if the English language you either failed to grasp the point I was making or just wanted to get a little zinger in. Since I seriously doubt it was the former all I can say is hope you got a chuckle out of it at least.

RIP Champ.

If I may opine on this point. Barack Obama has called people very much like me bitter, small minded, he says I cling to guns and religion because I'm afraid of people who don't look like me. He has insulted my religion when he spoke at Georgetown last year. He has insulted an organization I belong to, the VFW. He said people like me were incapable of thinking for ourselves. He has openly insulted my patriotisim and believes I am a likely terrorist because of my military service. In response to all that I, and those like me, have not gathered and burned any flags, or him in effigy, or assualted anyone, or damaged property. Why? BECACUSE WE ARE NOT A PACK OF G-----D ANIMALS. Every human being on this ball of rock is solely responsible for one thing... their conduct! I am not going to riot and cause harm to people who have done me no wrong because some jackass in a suit holding a microphone said something I found offensive! You would have us believe it's an understandable response and Trump should be thrown in prision for upsetting the poor dears so. F--k that! It is so condescending to think those human beings are too witless to hold their tempers when everyone else around them can hold theirs. If they want to protest, protest away. Hold signs, chant, sing songs, burn flags if you want. That hurts no one (doesen't endear you to anyone either). But by God that s--t stops the moment you pick up a rock, or hit someone, or threaten someone, or damage property. Now Trump is no longer the issue. It's them. They are the ones who belong in jail. Whats worse when they are acting like a pack of savages people look at them and think "Trump is right about them". And THAT is the worst part of all.

I'm with Majestic. Arya has left for good. It makes no sense because she is on the wrong side of the ocean and now has no friends. The faceless men are not pansies. In AGoT Petyr Baelish told Ned Stark about Dany "I did more to save her life than you with all your prating about honor. If we'd sent a Faceless Man after her she would be as good as buried." But book Arya & show Arya are different people. And GRRM does not have to worry about recasting a part with a very popular actress in it. If book Stannis sacrificed Shireen it would have less of an impact. Shireen was less developed on the page than on the screen and Stannis never culitvated any kind of relationship with her like he did on the show. Littlefinger is one of my favorite charachters on both the page & screen but I do like book Petyr better. He's smarter, less creepy and definitely playing a "long game".

Baldur's Gate enhanced edition. I've never played a Kensai, thought I'd give it a try.

At first I just hated it. Now it's growing on me a little. I do like the retro look of the jersey design. But it is still a downgrade on the original. http://panthers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=884875

I didn't like the track they took with Arya. In the book she completed her assignment and "joined up" so to speak. But I guess it makes sense. Book Arya is wearing a new face now and they are not about to write Maise Williams out of the show... yet

Happy to help: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/02/politics/donald-trump-california-protesters/

So because they are angry with Trump it's perfectly understandable that they should trash the property of and beat the hell out of people who are not Donald Trump? Way to go, become the monsters Trump accuses them of being. They are doing more to help him than hurt him.

I figured you'd pick the guy dressed as Gandalf when you wanted to impugn the whole by pointing out one of the few nutjobs. He was funnier. Well, one thing to remember is that freedom also means being free to act like a jackass. You have to take the bad with the good.

I'm confused by this criticism? Dont both Trump and Clinton deserve to be respective nominees because they had the most delegates? Now lets say somehow Trump wins, at the end of his 4 years when it becomes apparent he wasn't able to deliver most of what he claimed he would do the Republican political machinery should go back to the old structures ....in other words looking at the establishment for guidance. I have always felt this would be a better way to manage the Republican party? Trump & Clinton are going to be the nominees. We were discussing if a vote for a third party candidate in the general election is futile or not. My answer to that depends on what your definiton for success would be. If success is actually getting that 3rd party candidate elected then it is a waste and you are tilting at windmills. If success is hoping the 3rd party performs better than in previous cycles and enables them to do better in future cycles then it is not a waste at all. Primary challenges to sitting Presidents in not uncommon. Especially if they are unpopular. Either Clinton or Trump could easily find themselves facing an in party challenger in 2020 if they even want to run again.