Walsingham

I was once pushed out of a really tall tree.

Steady on, gentlemen. If I can throw in an idea maybe it's the fact that - knowing firearms as we do - a game involving firearms throws more mental bells and whistles than one with 'black box' magic. More of our brains wakes up when we see a picture of a real gun than a glowing stick, even if they do precisely the same damage in game.

Really cool to read your travelogue there. Fantastic to hear someone who can appreciate another country without dissing their own. To picture my reaction, imagine this big Union Jack unfurling behind the PC and this lion stalking in majestically to roar to the accompaniment of the Royal Marines band playing 'Rule Britannia' from the deck of the Victory. Then, as you continued the flag fell down, the Victory sank, and the lion coughed and expired. I'm sorry now I couldn't find time to meet you while you were over. Your stay should havee included at least some sitting in a country garden sipping tea.

Please note: Fionavar does not mean MY grandmother.

I rather suspect that Jefferson put it along the lines of when you are in a democracy you have a say in the law, thus you have no excuse for disobeying it. BUt I learned that from a comic, so I could be wrong.

That's because you're a preternaturally intelligent hamster.

Asking for realism in a modern game is trouble. Wouldn't it also make more sense for someone who wants to kill your character to hire a sniper? Wouldn't it make sense for that shot to be unable to dodge against and kill you in one hit? I can't speak for other GMs, but the more realistic the damage system, the stupider I have to make the antagonists. Got a point. You get hit in the eye with a 7.62 round, front on you are hors de combat (which at one point I thought meant mercenaries) no matter who you are. It's awkward being too specific. On the other hand you could be biased and only roll location for NPCs.

If you want incidental NPCs I can 'assist' by hawing on endlessly about some of ours...

Sounds like a computer simulation of taking ketamine and LSD. i.e. terrifying and awful.

I have no problem with magic. But I do like to be able to upset magic users by throwing grenades at them.

QTF. To which I was agreeing that the ones who issued the death threats would do well to reexamine their own scriptures and 'turn the other cheek'. At least, that's what I was trying to get across in my first post. Apologises for any confusion. I was QFTing you, good sir.

Well don't look at me. I'm still a forlock tugging noob.

Id make a first person rpg about modern peace-keeping. It would be as realistic as possible. Thus you'd be exhilarated, educated, and subject to post-traumatic stress disorder after you finished.

I just noticed the bit at the end about THQ. I thought THQ were shod-merchants? Viz: Firewarrior.

I disagree with almost all your points. Hurrah for me! Seriously though, leaving aside your objection to always playing not German (try finding a game where you can play Britain in an FPS), I would suggest you try (EDIT) Brothers in Arms; Road to Hill 30. Three things make this awesome... four things make this an awesome game... FIVE things: 1. The soldiers swear properly. 2. The Germans don't look evil. They look young and aggressive, but not actually evil. It would of course be better if they looked really really tired. 3. Guns suppress the enemy. Which means when bullets are going off around you, or someone pops round a corner and lets off a machine gun, the target's nerves get rattled. He is disinclined to expose himself to fire at long range, and becomes a worse shot at close range. This leads to realistic fire team tactics, with flanking and room clearance. My particular favourite is the way that, when under fire, your best option is to send off a few clips in the most likely direction even if you can't see anyone, and only then run for cover. 4. Accuracy is a function of two things. First you have aiming accuracy, which is represented by your sights wobbling around with your breathing. This becomes more extreme when you get hurt or have been tearing around. This can be mitigated by good mouse control. Then you have natural ballistic error, which is just gravy. Hitting someone at long range is a hell of a lot more satisfying. 5. Difficulty changes the enemy AI more than it does their health. At low levels, as soon as you open fire the enemy scatter to cover and fire stolidly back. At higher levels they become more... proactive. The first time I upped the difficulty I was merrily trolling through a level, and had scampered up to a wall behind which some Germans were sheltering. I let off a magazine of tommy gun fire over their heads to keep their heads down and reached for my tea. You can imagine what happened to the tea when a stielhandgranat lofted over the wall and landed at my feet! At higher levels the devious bastards will suppress you as you attack, then, if you are exposing anyone try to work up your flank! This is even more unnerving, but very exhilarating. SIXTH and final grooviness: 6. Controlling friendly forces is done by holding down the right mouse button and pointing at stuff. If you are point at ground then the selected fire team will go there. If you are pointing at the enemy your fire team will try to suppress them. Simple, intuitive, and effective. ~~ Buy this game. Then help me make a mod for the British at Arnhem.

My google search tells me a viper 5 is a cricket bat. Huzzah for cricket bat based attacks!

Something like that. *Tries to shuffle in front of suitcase full of cocaine, and stunned grizzly bear*

See, this is where other Christians need to step in and set the matter straight. Christians themselves need to make it clear that we will not abide such behavior. It needs to be clear to every Christian who uses violence as a tactic that the person who reports you, the person who arrests you, the judge in the trial, and the jury of your peers are likely all going to be Christian and yet you will be punished for breaking the law. One of my biggest concerns regarding the response to the Mohammad cartoons was the response from the Muslim community at large to the acts of violence. The Muslims speaking unconditionally condemning the violence were too few while the majority reacted with either tepid condemnation or even tacit agreement. Christians must uphold the law, even if it requires the use of force on other Christians. Now, in some cases the law is wrong. In some cases, Christians would be obliged to break the law and even fight back against injustice, but I doubt offensive candy qualifies in either case. Insofaras I have any right to judge, being at best a very poor sort of Christian, I agree. It is disgusting and contemptible that any faith should issue death threats, but it is nothing short of obscene to do so in the name of Jesus. It's like Jews expressing annoyance by eating mounds of bacon. On Saturday.

Jehovah's Witnesses: "Hello, we'd like to talk to you about _JE_sus!" Bernard: "Really? How is he now, come on in!" Actually, it's mainly sorting all my damned receipts. I hate doing it. There shoud be some kind of terrible oath you can swear and then they just take your word for how much you've had to pay out. If you are found to have exagerrated too much then they sand your legs down to stumps with kitchen towel.

Don't they have a right to be offended? I agree that they should turn the other cheek, but as long as they are protesting peacefully what is the problem? Death threats are not very "Christian" however What death threats? There were none, just alot of complaining. Good grief and learn to read. I believe our colleague was assuming that for anyone to draw the analogy there would have had to have been death threats.

I spent most of the day desperately avoiding my taxes. Which, if you have seen the TV show Black Books, can inspire the strangest things.

I think it makes a very effective propaganda tool. It tells me Jesus is sweet and delicious, if fattening in large quantities. And I might also add that if male genitals are offensive in religious art someone had better tell the Pope. As for the most offensive thing to ever happen to Christianity... that man should be obliged to sit down and view most of mainstream culture. Like in A Clockwork Orange. And finally, sense of humour? Sense of humour? I get irascible if someone tells me I can't drink for a week. Try the rest of your life!

Some women do seem to enjoy setting little tests of loyalty. But then, you might think I left my pants all over the kitchen as a test of loyalty.