Nonek

Strategy and tactics from the people who had a king charge forth from a chokepoint into superior numbers at Ostagar? I can imagine many lols will be had at their attempts, but even if I had the Origin download service I think i'd still pass.

Finished the first season of Babylon Five, good lord the writers weren't afraid of pushing the narrative were they? The status quo was not just upset but almost destroyed, very refreshing. All told I absolutely loved this first season, high points were probably the nods to Forbidden Planet and the great machine of the Trell, the Ironheart pshychic incident, as well as the overall weirdness and strangeness of the cast and the sense of wonder and mystery that was evoked perfectly. G'kars speech about the ancient aliens that haunt a certain planet was especially well done, and Londos descent into a self orchestrated doom was masterfully plotted. I really like Commander Sinclair, very understated but quite conflicted, with a little tongue in cheek twinkle in his eyes.

Oh so the delay was to record the audio? Well that's not very exciting, I was anticipating some juicy drama, clashes of Herculean wit and pistols at dawn on a cold misty morn. Really now i'm quite upset at such a mundane explanation, and the stifling of my fevered imaginations workings. Have you no feelings for those who weave together pathetic far reaching conspiracy theories on no evidence and utterly baseless conjecture? Harumph, harumph and thrice harumph I say to thee Sirs.

The problem with circular saws, electric knives, chainsaws and similar toothed implements is the mess they create, a lot of splatter and gristle. One should ideally use a good set of sharp knives, a cleaver for the tougher joints and cartilage, and preferably skin the corpse so that one can see the joints and identify the various muscle groups so that they are avoided. Carry a good gralloching knife to start the process, hang until the corpse is ready to prepare and have your butchery tables and clothing ready, along with a good supply of soap, water, bleach and a mop and bucket. Be wary of ticks and fleas when skinning and carrying. Edit: Well this is how I used to prepare deer anyway. A good supply of muslin cloth is also recommended, and for the less physically strong one can purchase a little, light hanging rack for the corpse.

I'm in a Thomas Hardy kind of mood lately, just finished Far from the Madding Crowd.

Gambling Avatar? Thou hast lost an eigth. Joining the Fellowship Avatar? Thou hast gained a reputation as a feminine hygiene product.

Well to be fair it may well be that I am far too anal about these things, I have a natural inclination to practicality, perhaps at the expense of artistic creativity and more outrageous displays. However to argue against my own position for a moment one could bring up a host of "supposedly" barbaric warriors whom eschewed armour, such as the Woad Warriors of the Celts who were naked, the Zulu nations, the DaHomey warrior women, and Maoris, which would be especially pertinent considering the Ooh Mamas somewhat Polynesian bearing. There is also the infamous Viking Berserker, however I have read accounts of Berserks wearing heavy mail that no blade can pierce (maybe Byzantine Cataphract armour?) and not appearing as the half dressed madmen, which is the usual depiction. Indeed i'm of the mind that Berserk may be an almost Shamanic title, but that's another matter. Personally i'm very pleased with Poes art, it is exemplary and sets it apart from the usual, I applaud Messrs Berman and Sawyer for going down this route and blazing a trail which is rare in modern, western RPGs. I am perhaps so critical because the standard throughout the game is so high, and I enjoy that immensely. In fact i'd like to see this verisimilitude extended to other aspects of the game. It is a good point that fantastical designs should ocassionally break this design, to emphasise their unique nature.

Like Mr Avellone's novella what? Ha.

Fair enough, but most of the time for Conan that meant wearing a simple leather jerkin, no shirt at all, or just loose fitting clothes with maybe a pelt or something over it. Trust me, I have read just about every conan book and more often than not he wore little to no armor or light armor that left plenty exposed at best. In Queen of the Black Coast Conan is armoured in the finest mail of the Hyborian nations, and earns fame as the iron giant beside Belit. When leading armies or serving as a mercenary he wears stout mail again or full plate harness. In the Frost Giants Daughter he is clad in stout mail of the Aesir once more. It is only when working as a thief in Zingara and other early years adventures (or later when it is convenient such as in Offir) that he wears a simple leather jack or less. When adventuring in the east on the steppe or with the Zuagir or Afghuli he apes their dress, the flowing robes or traditional mountain outfit. Of course in his piratical adventures he often wears very little, whether that is serving on the Vilayet or in the great seas of the west, but that is once again only practical. I have also read all of Howard's work and Conan was nothing less than practical in every aspect of his character, this included arming and armouring himself. Edit: Though admittedly his impulsive and rash nature could ocassionally get him in trouble, such as when he pursues Valeria into the no mans lands south of Kush.

On behalf of "They" and most of the world: No, we just don't want to talk to you at all Mr Brand.

It doesn't look fine to me, what is the use of any armour that leaves massive amounts of vulnerable areas bare of protection? There of course is none. A simple gambeson would solve this, or a mail coat, she does not have to be wearing field plate merely something that is fit for purpose as armour, rather than the strange get up she is currently dressed in. If she were a Monk wishing to get hit I could understand this, but as a frontliner she should know the value of armour and dress appropriately for battle, look at Conan who was always equipped in the very best harness he could afford as a sensible precaution. There are far too many vulnerable organs around the midriff, and of course being hobbled will diminish ones effectiveness (and ability to travel or Lord forbid the femural artery is cut) drastically, why hand an enemy this gift when a little cheap equipment would cover and protect these areas?

The scriptwriter.

Sorry to be the negative Nicholas in the thread but Maneha's Armour looks perfectly designed for a foe who wishes to gut or hobble her with the lack of covering on midriff and legs. The jump is a little too high, it reminds me of anime silliness or the final boss in DA2 who zooms off into space, check out the Gladiator's Stomping Jump special attack in Sacred Gold for a much better implemented version, in my opinion of course.

Only after he delivers that novel. Until then he's stuck to writing duty. From what i've heard in various interviews Mr Avellone has already completed and delivered the Poe novella, whether it is stuck in editing or needs tweaking because of plot revisions one cannot say, but Obsidian seems to have possessed it for a while.

Oh dear Nonek, whilst I love your optimism the fact is that decay consumes us all. Even if their minds where perfectly persevered after the moment of their death it can't reverse the damage that time did before they died. Best to let sleeping dogs lie, rather than wake them up only to realize that they already given their only contribution to the world and are now empty husks that have been left behind. Please don't remind me. Well this is operating on the D&D (and various religions) premise that there is a "soul," that this fantastic organism can see, hear, think and feel just like its fleshy mortal counterpart and is capable of carrying on the life which its body has given up. Indeed that the emotions of life may still rule it and it still exhibits a personality and individuality. Of course as you say its all bunkum, one cannot see without eyes, hear without ears, think without a brain or feel emotions without hormones and what have you, but then again our hobby is a delightful piffle in and of itself.

I've always thought that armies of the dead crushing nations beneath their rotting heels was a rather short sighted application of necromancy, I think information research and retrieval would be a far more effective business proposition. Also of course a brains trust springs to mind, pardon the pun, the finest minds of millenia saved for the good of all mankind and perhaps even persevering with their research. Imagine the beautiful patterns Einstein would be weaving from reality, especially now that his gravity wave theory has been proven, or Pythagoras rendering the universe into his mathematical constructs, Alexander perfecting his strategies and tactics, Newton making physics his plaything.

No one would have believed in the early years of the twenty first century that human affairs were being watched from the timeless depths of space. No one would have dreamed that we were being scrutinised as someone eith a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely, they drew their plans against us... Duh, duh, duh. I have to admit that my late night walk with Fido is half spent staring up at the stars, especially in the wintertime when Orion is high and Ursa Major so clear, I think this is a very basic imperative for mankind, to stare up at the stars and ponder. Personally I believe this is why we have so many heavenly phenomena throughout history, Angels, Valkyries, Dragons, Gods and signs from on high such as inspired Constantine, we wish to make sense of the infinite I think. Edit: The Caravan is inevitable for gentlemen of a certain age, it is a symbiotic entity that comes into being as age and youth mingle, just as conservatories will erupt from the home of any young married couple. These things cannot be fought against, only accepted. I admit that my little wheeled domicile has saved me many drenchings I once would have strode through without even paying attention, but now judge to be personal affronts from the Aether.

I thought that Tales of the Sword Coast was a far better expansion than ToB, in fact i'd place Durlag's Tower over Watcher's Keep as a dungeoneering experience. Oddly enough I also liked Shadows of Undrentide, but absolutely detested Hordes of the Underdark, then again I was never particularly fond of Undermountain, the Realms or the Drow. That endless hike through the planes in the latter portion of HotU was also an absolute bore, I was playing with my chin resting on one hand for almost all of it, with much huffing and puffing of exasperation.

Gaider's very boilerplate, but I still rate things like Ascension, and even HK-47, cliche-filled one-dimensional internet meme he is, is at least funny, i.e. cliche done right. In an industry where 90% of writers write things that you literally forget the second after you read them, and 90% of designers just get different things wrong rather than doing anything right... We all love Avellone, but he is known to be very positive in public about other games. He'd recommend anything, and basically has in the past. Personally I was not impressed at all by Throne of Bhaal, or the ascension version of it, it was far too linear, safe and somewhat boring for dealing with such a potentially interesting topic. I'm afraid to say that I also did not really warm to HK until the second game, he seemed far too scene breaking and out of place for some reason. Probably just a personal issue, however I find most of the gentlemans work similarly fails to amuse me, or downright repulses me. Then again we all have our peculiarities what? You're absolutely right about Mr Avellone, he seems to be a very positive individual, probably because he has such a good vent for his dark side in his game making.

True Infinitron, but i'm already on the fence regarding these re-released versions, they do not seem to have enough enhanced features to warrant their title in my opinion. Which I will admit is rather draconian, and decidedly grognard-ish. If I am expected to buy the games for a fourth time, then I will need to be wooed far more effectively.

It's never a pleasant task, however when it is warranted it becomes far easier. In many ways I find the idea of simply working far more attractive than management. Sometimes no matter how you try, it refuses to remain budless Very true, and yet still I feel some form of penance is due, guilt is an illogical beast.

I hate to be the first naysayer in the thread but I find most of Mr Gaider's content very underwhelming: I can spot his writing style a mile off after reading "The Stolen Throne" and my opinion of his prose is less than stellar, based on that and his game work. I also am no fan of his design techniques, the false choices and creative vision over player choice. The less said about the recycled Joss Whedon squeeing humour the better. I was considering purchasing the re-released editions of BG based upon Mr Avellones recommendation of Siege of Dragonspear Castle, however this casts doubt upon that. Then again Mr Knowles original plans for Neverwinter Nights were very attractive, and that gentlemans views on design are far more attuned to my own notion of enjoyment, so i'm in somewhat of a mixed bag. I will probably wait on a review from the esteemed gentlemen of the RPG Codex, one has found them to be an excellent source in this respect.

Has walking been implemented yet?

Had to let a chap go today, really good worker whose face unfortunately just did not fit, hated doing it as he is a good man, quiet and studious, with a certain understated nobility. He let himself be a doormat for too long, and people just grew used to it, as did he. Unfortunately he snapped and fisticuffs were exchanged before security and I could intervene, though after many years of provocation I cannot blame the chap. In a stroke of luck I did manage to set him up an interview with a rival firm. Somewhat outside my responsibility, and I shouldn't really be having this much contact with them, but reality is somewhat different from the theoretical, and we all have contacts in other firms. Also he'd mentioned his tight financial situation after Christmas and i just couldn't let him walk out without some intervention. I've spoken with my opposite number and explained the situation, because gross misconduct is such a horrible term, but I think that's the best I can do and remain unsure of his prospects. The question as to whom is going to cover his rather impressive workload is now staring a few of our employees in the face, and i'm giving not an inch of help to the crowd who decided that his bullying was amusing. As far as i'm concerned they're all on thin ice, and i've made no pretense that they aren't. In truth I feel guilty, I should have nipped this in the bud long before it came to this juncture, but work and a hundred and one other things got in the way as usual.

A little levity on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw