Monte Carlo

A few years ago there was this ''huge scandal'' about the German parade corps still using K98's with swastikas and eagles on them. Good thing they removed them, what seemed like mere little imprints from a time long gone turned out to be malevolent magical runes that could actually resurrect zombie-Hitler when used in a special ritual. Anyway, here is a pic of a L2A1 because its so cool I'd trade whats left of my soul to own one. Using that thirty round mag is a bad idea... IIRC the springs weren't really designed especially in the curved LMG models (designed for top loading re-bored Bren guns, used until the mid-80s as vehicle LMGs in the British army).

It's a bit of a secret but Wals and I served together in the army. He we are on our support weapons course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPcfp5ppGnk

Path of the Damned is easy mode for sexual tyrannosaurs like me.

Rostere is one of my favourite posters on these forums, but like all Scandies he occasionally comes across as a bit of an ivory-tower dweller. Us barbaric, war-mongering Imperialists have never reached the level of social enlightenment that the Nords enjoy.

I don't really pick up an anti-Russian bias on the BBC. And trust me, I'm deeply attuned to the BBC's inherent bias(es) and would scrap it tomorrow. The facts about Russia are incontrovertible - it is a deeply illiberal, corrupt kleptocracy, run by a sinister former intelligence officer who served a murderous dictatorship. Journalists are harassed, racism is rife, Gay people are marginalised by government diktat. Although seeing those soap-dodgers get Spetznatzed up in the Arctic was epic lolocopter stuff.

I apologize, your Squeakiness.

With regards to the stuff about Kangaxx / Twisted Rune (etc). The point has been missed. Those fights were, literally, Easter Eggs. They were meant to be cheesed. There are other critical path examples where design might be askew, but these are the wrong targets.

Welcome to all who are new to the community indeed! It's great to have you and should you need anything, please do let any in the Mod Squad know! with respect, Fionavar Welcome, hope you enjoy the forums. As I ask all the gold backers... can I borrow some money please?

* shrugs * It was a good fight, better than the Throne of Bhaal boss battle.

As long as there is a difficulty slider that sorts the men from the sheep then I'm cool.

@ PrimeJunta. Fair enough. But once you've beaten a game, who cares? If I know the best sword for a paladin is a two-hander why wouldn't I choose that skill?

Some people call it meta-gaming. Me, I call it knowing the rules.

What guns? I'm here all week.

LOL my biggest BG2 problem was that by the time I'd put up my last buff, my first ones had run out. I never liked contingencies and sequencers, nor really playing Mages. I always go for easier-to-use sorcerers.

I know there isn't multi-classing in this game, and I know they are trying to make it less-easy to inadvertently make a gimpy character... ... and I'm not a 2E AD&D fan, but I loved the freaky class combos in BG2. I know someone who created a Swashbuckler / Cleric (a pure WTF build) for a laugh and soloed the game with it. And there was a Ranger (Archer) / Cleric with expertise in slings! Edit - these were dual-classes. My own favourite was a genuinely sub-optimal but fun Assassin 'X' dual classed to fighter at level 16. These aren't gimpy, there are simply clever ways of using a system to come up with unorthodox stuff. If PoE sort-of replicates this by, say, allowing for unusual but cool things to happen with Intelligence-Fighter or Strength-Mage then maybe that will be fun too. And I have a cautious toe in Gfted1's sceptical camp, TBH, about some of this stuff. Am already finding the fatigue mechanic meh-some, but will see what it's like in practice.

Yes, they are finally confirming the chainmail bikini DLC.

^ Hey, you were at my last birthday party.

With regards to the original question, I'd use the old saw: "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer is slowly, and in small pieces. Which is how I will probably play much (but not all) of PoE.

Hey, health problems. Have had a cold for a month or so. It's kinda cleared up but the sore throat is incredible. 2.5 weeks of sore throat. Wow.

Looks like a Spanish CETME variant.

Seeing as Game of Thrones is coming back on soon-ish, here's some Natalie Dormer. The minx.

Well, I've recently read... Marko Kloos, Terms of Enlistment, a decent chunk of military sci-fi in the Starship Troopers tradition... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terms-Enlistment-Marko-Kloos-ebook/dp/B00CIXX144/ref=pd_sim_kinc_4 Andy Johnson, Seelowe Nord, a Boy's Own style counter-factual about a Nazi invasion of the North of England (based on a scenario the author wrote as a serving soldier)... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seel%C3%B6we-Nord-Andy-Johnson-ebook/dp/B005QMEUFS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1389631425&sr=1-1&keywords=seelowe+nord DJ Molles, 'The Remaining' Series - very pulpy survivalist zombie goodness... http://www.amazon.co.uk/D.J.-Molles/e/B007QPRLYA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1389631615&sr=8-2-ent

I've been reading loads of stuff, mainly cheap indie books off Kindle. There's stacks of talent and good reads out there for very little money.

The German soldiers in the one-from-bottom photo are from the Wehrmacht. Both the dude with the Mp44 and the MG42 gunner have the national symbol (eagle) above their breast pockets. If they were SS it would be on the upper sleeve of their tunics. You may now continue. That's a great photo, btw, if you're a bit of a WW2 kit spotter - Panther tank, late war gaiters / ankle boots and old-style jackboots, canvass webbing. I'd say the photo was late '44 or early '45.