EnderAndrew

I'll probably rent in then. I find it hard to believe Card put out a bad story.

Pen and Paper - Anything recent from White Wolf publishing. All the 3rd edition WoD, and the new WoD, and Engel as well.

Setting: Engel - German post-apoc religious game with Angels and the like L5R - Samurai and political goodness with fantasy twist (It should be noted that 7th Sea and the Lands of the Burning Sands are extensions of the L5R world) The new WoD Shadowrun Exalted Fallout PnP Systems: D6 Star Wars - quite possibly the best system I've ever seen. Toon - Simple and brilliant Earthdawn The New WoD I also want to point out that Arcana Unearthed by Monte Cook is well balanced, and a much better version of D&D 3.5, but I still really don't care for class/level systems.

That sounds like me EXACTLY. I experiment, and try many different character types but I almost end up exactly with the above.

Military, in general, yes. However, Israel has the best army due to the fact that joining is mandatory. Also, slightly off topic, but Israel looks down upon people who play PnP games as "detached from reality" and having "weak personalities." Israeli Military Views of DnD <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wouldn't say the Isreali army is the greatest, because volutneer forces often do better than conscripts. However I do believe Isreal has quite possibly the world's finest Air Force. You have the same planes as the US, but more flight time. The US Air Force admits the Isreali Air Force is probably superior, however the US Navy would try and lay claim to having the best pilots in the world. As far as rules, I rarely go completely free-form, but I like a very simple, quick, streamlined system that can be applied fairly. I find level/class based systems to be restrictive, and I prefer point-based systems that are fairly open-ended.

Honestly, I don't trust many game reviews. I've seen really good games get panned or passed over while 10 titles in a row got reviews of 9.9 and best game EVAR!!! on sites like GameSpy and IGN. However, I read the first two pages of this thread and hadn't seen any reviews for the game yet. For what it's worth, most reviews I saw said KOTOR:2 was inferior to KOTOR:1, and I completely disagree on that.

Yes on both accounts, but both Shadowrun and Arcanum add magic as a twist to your standard cyberpunk and steampunk.

Variety might add to the challenge, or atleast keep us awake. For heavily armored opponents, critical strike is supposed to be better, while flurry is supposed to be better for low armored opponents. I had no challenge just using flurry the whole way.

It seems people are still buying this rumor. LucasArts may intend to give this back to Obsidian, however when KOTOR:3 was in production, it was internal at LucasArts. KOTOR:3 was officially cancelled during the big LucasArts layoffs. Obsidian has officially said that as far as they know, no one is working on KOTOR:3. Obsidian has officially said their next project besides NWN:2, is a console only RPG that is NOT A SEQUEL.

I think you've got it the wrong way around. Those character quests were good. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Character quests in KOTOR? Where you got a chemical for Missions brother and heard her throw a temper tantrum? Mission went from a kid pretending to be an adult to a kid trying to be an adult. Carth went from a gruff boyscout to a gruff boyscout. Bastilla went from a snobbish and emotional Jedi to a snobbish and emotional Jedi. Jolee lectured and made no pretense of changing or developing, but the conversations were fun regardless. When did you really go on a quest to develop these characters save from the Wookie?

I'd love seemless worlds with no loading times.

Fair enough. Maybe it's just my soft spot for Ultima, but it was a complete world in my eyes. Perhaps because I visited it in so many Ultima titles, but more so because with games like Ultima 7, the NPCs all had real schedules and life. And I spent so much time exploring it that I came to apprecaite it. With 9 main games, and a few spinoffs like Ultima Underworld, the world has a rich history. The Forgotten Realms have a rich history too, but the history of a world like Britannia/Sosaria is intertwined with the player's character. I feel like I helped shape that world. With Rokugan, the best elements of historical Japan have been mixed with fantasy Japan. And then the name was changed to Rokugan so that you can play with the world and not feel constrained by historical accuracy. The setting is diverse from our own culture, and very rich. The political landscape is very nice as well. Shadowrun provides a little something for everyone with shamanism, oppresive corps, street samurai, magic, elves, dwarves, riggers, deckers, etc. It is what our world could be both in dreams and nightmares. Arcanum was a world that I feel was good in concept, but was lost in poor gameplay and balance issues. I don't feel I know the world despite the large and well developed towns. I'd like to know it better. Fallout needs no explanation here, I do believe.

I didn't hate the ending, but I feel it was lacking. They definately could have done more. If you were truly a wound in the force caused by this place, then you should have had a flashback that created the proper somber mood, instead of just hacking up random storm beasts. Most Holocaust movies have a shot or two that puts the movie into perspective. And dealing with a world like Malachor, I think it needed such a moment. The TRP should take that into consideration.

I did Nar Shadda first and found portions challenging, such as killing the Twin Blades with Atton, and much of the Yacht without the main character.

Burnout's best feature is the destuction mode. It's not very realistic. If you're looking for real cars, then Forza would be a better bet. Need for Speed Underground 2 might also be a good racer to look into. My brother loves it. It looks great, is quick to pick up, quite fun, and real cars. I think the only problem with something like Need for Speed is that it's not as realistic when it comes to damage or handling, and it can be mastered in a few weeks.

Today or when I was in the Marine Corps? I was in much better shape then. If I remembered the guidelines from 2nd ed (bench press and the like) I'd give you D&D ability scores like you requested. Instead I will use White Wolf's system. I realize these answers will make me look conceited. Either I am, or I have good genes. Strength 2 (probably a 3 while I was in the Core) Dexterity 3 (Wrestling, Martial Arts, SCA fighting, etc. I used to be able to put a leg around my head to boot.) Stamina 2 (Again, I think I used to be a 3 or 4. I used to do 20 mile runs in the Marine Corps, and did a 3 mile run in 18 minutes). Charisma 2 (This is a tough one. I did debate, and lots of community theatre. I think I'm a good speaker, but at the same time I have a tendency to turn-off certain people. I have a strong personality either way, but you could interpret a very positive or negative charisma) Manipulation 4 (I have a national medal saying I took first place in a DECA National General Marketing/Sales competition. And I LARPed 4 years in the Camarilla, and played one of the most infamous and manipulative characters amongst thousands.) Appearance 3 (I look alot like a cross between David Caruso and Eric Stoltz. In California, I actually got asked for an autograph by someone who sincerely thought I was Eric Stolz. David Caruso was voted sexiest man alive one year. Yet appearance is a matter of taste. I think rating myself above a 3 would be really vain, and I don't think I'm exceedingly attractive, but there are a few who might think I am.) Perception 1 (I have very good hearing, but I'm pretty damned blind, and my head is often elsewhere.) Intelligence 4 (I've never tested below 115 on any IQ test, and I've tested as high as 160. I average in the 135 range, and at the uber-prep school in Omaha, I had the highest score on their entrance exam in the history of the school. I also learn extremely fast. Though I'd never call myself a genius. I'm 99 percentile, and always have been on every test, but I believe true geniuses are one in a million.) Wits 3 (I'm a quick thinker who is rarely surpised).

I've only used minis with D&D. The game is so specific on ranges, line of site, etc. that it makes game far simpler to arbitrate. For any other game, players seem content to allow me to say you can or can not do something.

I have the Civilization board game, and we play it much like Diplomacy. Instead of throwing dice, and just marching through the game, we actually pull players to private rooms and strike deals. Turns can take 20 minutes when we play Civilization. Though I'm familiar with Diplomacy, I've never actually played it.

Buy this person a cookie. I'll play a class based system if I have to, but I really prefer not to.

Be conscientous of music, mood, pacing, the tone of your voice, etc.

As I've discussed before, I don't care for the alignment system. Who truly believes themself to be evil, or acts evil for the sake of evil? I believe most villians in our history believed what they were doing was right.

If I recall, 2nd edition also imposed level caps on races. So an Elf could live to be 200, but could never progress past 7th level as a Fighter. Are Elves balanced with a cap? Perhaps. But most people drop the cap, along with racial prejudices, etc. When you remove the drawbacks, then yes Elves are clearly imbalanced. But D&D has never, ever been about balance.

Is friendly fire really friendly?

The Ultima series was the first series of games that I truly fell in love with. Despite UO, and U9, I still really love that series. Most RPGs up to that point were D&D rip offs, and rogue clones. They were number games with little story. Ultima games offered up a whole new world to me and changed the way we think about gaming. Ultima IV turned the industry on it's head with gameplay that didn't involve beating a boss, or gaining EXP. The game was about moral decisions. Imagine that. Yet, I feel the two great gems in the series are V and VII.

Movies have been around for a century, and they have affected our own self identies of sexuality. The same can be said for magazines, tv shows, and comic books. Video games merely follow the same trends.