Nonek

It's an Elf, smirk or not it should be hated!

One finds that a thoroughly waxed mustache, a raised eyebrow, a detailed perusal with ones monocle, a sporty TVR waiting in the sidelines and the casual mention that you own half of Hampshire suffices to woo most filly's. Time for tiffin what? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-418SbXncFA

First edition is eminently playable, simple and fun. Second edition is basically a gathering of all the various optional rules that were added to AD&D from supplemental books like Unearthed Arcana and the Complete Dungeoneers Survival guide. The two are interchangable really, and if you play one then the other is not such a stretch. There are some very nice adventures and settings for both editions, over time you will grow aware of more and more of flaws in the system, but as a beginners entry point there's very little that can match the sheer fun and dynamism of first edition. However that said once i've finished my current Rogue Trader campaign i'm thinking of trying out fifth edition, see how it's evolved. Addendum: Personally my tip for a good setting would be Greyhawk City in Gygax' Flannaess, the sourcebook is excellent and the city really does spring off the page with possibility and vitality.

Personally I have always been a fan of good wordplays and riddles, the Moredhel chests in Betrayal at Krondor were a nice little experiment in testing the old IQ. Gave up the mornings crossword to focus on those, refreshingly difficult.

Though I thought the open maps of Baldur's Gate were a nice feature they pale next to the game worlds i've really enjoyed, Brittania in Ultima's 4-7, central and western Midkemia in Betrayal at Krondor, Rivellon in Divine Divinity, even Ancaria in the first Sacred. In these and others the world seemed to spring to life and be a joy to explore, while BG felt at all times a little too gamey and artificial. Icewind Dale could have been such a setting for me, when it was initially introduced I was both charmed and intrigued by the Kuldahar and the settlement around it, unique, interesting and something worthwhile in the world. Unfortunately it all too soon became dead and content deprived, when I was looking for the great foundations it had lain to be built upon and expanded. A shame.

Oh I do apologise if my grammar has not been up to snuff, not to excuse my mistakes but the generally poor level of observance on the internet seems to have bred a rather laissez faire attitude in my own prose of late, I shall endeavour to correct this however. As far as one is aware, whom is the objective position, while who the subjective, except after a preposition, has this changed in modern English? It's been four decades since grammar school and one is aware of the increasingly fluid nature of English. Edit: Probably smell too smokey due to the pipe, but it's a pleasant aroma to me, and one uses only the finest shag. 2nd Edit: To answer the OP's question, probably just Poe immediately. DAI has from what one has seen and read become utterly farcical, and i'm currently playing through New Vegas so my post apocolyptic urge will be sated, leaving Wasteland 2 to bide awhile.

Damn and blast! Pardon my french but this online obsession is the scourge of gaming.

Not interested in D&D or its derivatives, still i'll keep an eye open because of Obsidian's implementation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuyTofklJQU

Sol isn't omnipresent or unique, we're formed of ever changing particles which so far as we know have only one common progenitor, that being the big bang. I still see no need to worship such things, or worship anything at all. Society should be moving forward not clinging on to religion or whatever new age comfort blankets people choose to cuddle with, whether that's spiritualism, conspiracy theories, the latest fashionable -ism, or alternative medicine.

I drink (tea) therefore I am. I do not believe that a large ball of burning gas in space is a god, neither is a rock orbiting it and the parasites that cling to it are in no way holy. Well i'm not and certainly the ones i've met aren't.

Some artist is definitely compensating. Why armour your limbs but not your vital organs?

I may try out a Dwarf as i'm somewhat enamoured of them at the moment.

I never realised that Geralt's voice actor was the chaplain in Band of Brothers, the man has range.

Not to be pedantic Mr Devil but it's Castle Falkenstein by M. Pondsmith (creator of Cyberpunk,) not Frankenstein, as in Rock of the Hawk from what I remember of the teutonic tongue. The Cthulu by Gaslight sourcebook sounds far more appropriate than Mr Pondsmith's system however. All the best.

Cthulu by Gaslight or Castle Falkenstein perhaps?

Personally I believe Moorc*ck is one of the few writers whom does not have to have internal consistency and coherence in his work, largely because the stream of conciousness he writes in and the nature of his multiverse is fluid, and influenced by belief, dreams, thoughts and the various powers whom may have arisen from these ideas. I think that the short story concerning Earl Aubec and the introduction to the Knight of Swords especially illustrate this, though all of his multiverse does to some extent, even in Hawkmoon's alternate earth one can undo death, change reality and travel to alternate dimensions. Anything is possible, chaos will eventually win and reality is ever so fragile. However to me it is usually his characters, be they Champions Eternal or not, around whom the stories are centred. And they remain very human, realistic, and act and react according to their personality, environment or perspective, rather than serving as clumsy caricatures whose only purpose is to move the plot forward. Even though the protagonists are largely metaphors, they live, breathe and bring their own truth to the novels often shaping reality as they see fit, or ushering in new ages and beliefs that they may not be comfortable with but do believe in. Personally i'm very fond of this approach and believe that most settings can benefit if their characters act in a believably human and personal manner, rather than acting illogically for the benefit of a plot that loses more and more coherence as it progresses. Just a personal preference however.

Now that you mention it some similarities are quite apparent, though without Mr Scott's skill or the depth of the real world setting.

I personally think there's quite a lot of reasoned criticism of Obsidian's past games, the bugs in the first few levels of AP, the rather unfinished nature of the Sith Lords, the many flaws that beset NWN2, the camera and controls of DS3 etcetera. I would not try to dismiss any of these, but on the whole i've found their writing to be in general far superior to Bioware's in terms of the quality of prose, internal consistency, plotting, premise and themes. This is of course somewhat subjective. I read anything but didn't actually purchase the books Mr Volourn, I recieved them due to work.

Yes I have to admit that Bioware needs to hire some professional writers, whom know how to maintain internal consistency, basic plotlines and a logical premise. No offense to the author but has anyone read the Dragon Age novels? The prose is so childish and simple that I really struggled to finish them, for a company who are supposedly known for their writing I have yet to find any real quality evident in their games. I don't think they're helped by their fans being delusionary fanatics however, whom want to hear no word of criticism or requests for improvement. Criticism is always warranted as nothing ever achieves perfection. Edit: With the obvious exception of a nice cup of Earl Grey.

Mr Sawyer has quite a distinctive voice while singing at the Tops, I wonder whether the gentleman has had some training? Sat around wondering whom to support in this playthrough of NV, the NCR seem to be blindly groping down exactly the same path as the old world, and even Ceasar's Legion is preferable to more thermonuclear armageddon and experiments like those conducted in Vault 11. The promise of Shady Sand's is I think long gone.

Personally i'd like a few more Wilde-ish wordplays and verbal gymnastics, rather than the de rigeur squeeing humour, and perhaps a little less of the juvenile tee hee I said something naughty and (what a four year old would consider) clever. Most companions whom set out to provide witticisms usually make my teeth hurt with their constant attempts to make you like them, which is why I left Veronica in a ditch in Freeside with love and hate smashed into her skull repeatedly, Morte I liked however, as a sick, crude, and defiant sparring partner whom was also very useful. Cass was also a pleasant travelling companion, and quite amusing. Edit: The sparring with Gann was also a welcome touch of humour, quite self aware and deprecating as it was.

Personally I wish that the Diablo's had copied Divinity in terms of the skill system, the interactive world and the free roaming nature of the game. It seemed a natural evolution for the genre rather than regressing to what it is now. Edit: I would say that it was far more of a homage to the Ultima's than Diablo, with only the frequency and basic nature of the combat resembling the latter. Though apparently they wanted to make it turn based originally, but were refused by publishers supposedly? Can't speak for how true that rumour is however.

Oh I wouldn't call it a must have for the game, except perhaps with archer characters. It was useful for clearing the map however, for those of us whom are slightly ocd about such things.

I always thought that Divine Divinity handled the fog of war quite uniquely, for the simple fact that ones skills (I believe Ranger and Elven sight) could modify ones viewing distance. I don't believe that i've seen this used before or since.