Gorth

I'm not really much for giving games "ratings". My world view is a bit too binary sometimes. Either I like it or i don't (i.e. 100 or -5). I like this game. Very much so. East to learn mechanics, which can still involve some rather convoluted thinking and strategies for skill choices and party deployment. At a certain point, your party grows from 7 to 8 and you have to make a binding choice from 3 candidates, a bard, a paladin and a priest, which one you want to add permanently. I let my glorious party leader, the ranger, have the final word and went with the priestess. In his own words, she has some enormous attributes. An interesting mechanic is how party member can passively buff each other depending on who they stand next to. A simple example, if the magician is standing next to the wood elf (the party "dumb blonde"), she feels even smarter than she normally is by comparison and get a +5 to intelligence Similar with other stats and attributes. The skill system a mix of primary skills and derived secondary skills. It took me a bit to figure out how to get your party to scout for traps, but that turned out to be surprisingly simple. Just make your thief the party leader and the party sill move slowly, scanning for traps. Nice and easy like that in many ways. Your ogre is the party inventory, as his massive strength is what carries all the party's loot etc. (the in game explanation for how it works). While it is a 3D isometric system, the camera can be moved freely, rotating around the action, zooming in and out etc. But... no matter how nice and easy to learn the interface and game mechanics are, it doesn't matter if you don't dig the writing. I believe (without having investigated too much) it's based on a French comic. I found a single video on Youtube showing somebody's interpretation of the comic and I would recommend watching the 7 minutes or so video to judge if the visual style, voice acting (which sounds like the game voice actors) etc. is to your liking. Also the humour... always a hit or miss thing, I think the cartoon catches the style of the game. Edit: Someone else's 'lets play' video showing the introduction and the start of the game. Showing much more than I can tell in several long paragraphs

Playing Dungeon of Naheulbeuk… I just dispatched the cheese guarding chef and his henchmen (and henchrats) followed by a showdown with the cultists of Dlul, the god of boredom. Looks like my party may have been cursed by the latter, constantly yawning and suffering from lethargy

I suppose you can leave the helmet and seat belts... I mean, what would be the point?

The Arab Spring dates back to 2010, so it can't really have been a "root cause". Did it contribute to its manpower? Sure. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/timeline-the-rise-spread-and-fall-the-islamic-state But ISIS can trace its roots back to the creation of Al Qaeda in 2004. Major supporters of AQ being first and foremost Saudi Arabia and to a lesser degree Turkey. The latter because they have a religious nutcase in the form of Erdogan who came to power in 2003 Timeline from the link: 2004-2012 2004: Abu Musab al Zarqawi establishes al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). June 7, 2006: Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Abu Ayyub al Masri takes his place. Oct. 15, 2006: al Masri announces the establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), with Abu Omar al Baghdadi as its leader. 2007: Following the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, ISI is driven from Baghdad into Diyala, Salahideen, and Mosul. The organization retains only a fraction of its leaders, cells, and capabilities, which are concentrated in Mosul. 2008: ISI membership is strongly diminished. By early 2008, 2,400 ISI members had been killed and 8,800 were captured, out of a previous membership of 15,000. The flow of foreign fighters into Iraq decreases from 120 per month to five or six per month by 2009. 2009: Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki targets Sunni leaders, increasing sectarian tensions. Support for ISI begins to increase in Sunni tribal areas, and ISI claims responsibility for suicide attacks that killed hundreds in Baghdad. April 2010: Abu Bakr al Baghdadi becomes the leader of ISI after a joint U.S.-Iraqi operations kills Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al Masri. July 2011: Abu Bakr al Baghdadi sends operatives to Syria. One of them, Abu Muhammad al Julani, becomes the leader of the Nusra Front in January 2012. July 2012-July 2013: ISI launches its “Breaking the Walls” campaign. It carries out 24 bombings and eight prison breaks, freeing jihadists who had participated in AQI attacks in 2006 and 2007. 2013 March 4: Raqqa falls to the Syrian opposition, and secular opposition groups, the Nusra Front, and ISI are all operating in Raqqa. ISI begins moving military assets to consolidate control and break into new battle fronts in Syria. April 11: Baghdadi moves from Iraq to Syria, and claims that the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) merged with the Nusra Front in Syria to become “The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.” But Julani rejects the alliance and declares allegiance to al Qaeda. July 21: ISIS launches the “Soldier’s Harvest” campaign to diminish Iraqi security forces and capture territory. August: ISIS begins attacking rebel groups including Liwa al Tawhid, Ahrar al Sham, and the Nusra Front in Raqqa and Aleppo. Dec. 30: ISIS militants in Iraq take control of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. So yes, if looking entirely at its current name, ISIS has existed since 2013, but I still believe it's foundations were laid with the formation of Al Qaeda (2004) and later ISI in 2006 (Islamic State in Iraq), in the mess that was Iraq. One of those things we may just have to agree to disagree on, I do hold the Bush administration entirely responsible for its existence

You could argue, that ISIS wasn't created by the CIA as much as the Bush administration and that only inadvertently due to the Iraq war and no plans for what to do after Saddam was removed. The sectarian violence that followed in the power vacuum led to the creation of ISIS and all it's spin offs from Africa to the Philippines. Killing heretic Shia Muslims is their priority. Killing heathen westerners wherever they find them is a bonus. Edit: Since the spin off and splinter groups have run all out of heretics to kill, they just make heathens their priority instead. Nothing like rampant poverty and inequality to keep the fire burning all over the world.

I like the humour in Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. It's an acquired taste for sure, but luckily for me, I acquired it. Sadly, it doesn't have a built in screenshot action key, so I have to find something better. Maybe that built in feature in Windows 10 can do the job of taking shots during conversations and combat. As far as combat goes, it's quite well made. Easy to learn and hard to master. I think my next skill point investment in the party ogre is going to be 'Advanced Murderhoboing' "This spell was originally invented as a way to enforcing social distancing during pandemics. Nobody wants to shake hands when it leaves both parties bleeding and screaming in pain" Porn Scroll... "to access its content you have to confirm your age" (it's a junk item, no pictures in it)

To be honest, the only thing I remember is what we were taught in history class as a young kid. Not the specifics of each paragraph, but just what in meant in a historical context, being the basis of a "constitutional monarchy" and explaining why the queen doesn't rule in an authoritarian way like her ancestors on the throne did in ages past. I.e. the elected parliament is responsible for the day to day running of the country and the royal council only assumes executive power in case of a state of emergency (which should encourage politicians to prevent it from happening as that would result in the parliament being dissolved and the monarch becoming the CoC of the armed forces).

No public holiday for you! Not even a partial one...

Constitutions... nothing but trouble Australia sort of has a constitution, but it mostly just outlines the balance of power between state and federal government, the role of the courts, parliament and government. Each state has it's own constitution. From the internet: Why don’t we have many Constitutional rights? The world has changed significantly since Federation. Rights are now at the forefront of many people’s mind. However, the Australian Constitution contains very few written rights. It was a deliberate decision of the writers of our Constitution to trust the democratic process to protect rights. So, there isn't really any constitutional protection of the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers, only the laws passed in the federal parliament, subject to change at any time depending on who has a majority. Edit: I think the only two important stipulations regarding individuals in the federal constitution is the freedom of religion and right to trial by a jury of peers. Edit2: The only thing I remember about the Danish constitution is the 5th of June being a partial public holiday (celebrating the constitution) which involved people going to large gatherings and drinking a *lot* of beer

It looks like my old country has adopted the immigration policy of my current country... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57343572 "Denmark has passed legislation allowing it to relocate asylum seekers to third countries outside the European Union while their cases are reviewed. The project, proposed by the Social Democrat-led government, would seek partner countries to run camps and fund agencies along migration routes" Just like Australia has an agreement with Papua New-Guinea, Denmark has made an agreement with Rwanda. In the future, asylum seekers will be sent to holding camps in Rwanda and if they qualify for asylum, will be allowed to settle in Rwanda. Edit: Just to nip it in the bud before people start crying "Outrageous! or How can that be safe?" etc. Rwanda ranks (in 2017) as the ninth safest country in the world to be in according to the World Economics Forum (something a lot of western countries should take note of) http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TTCR_2017_web_0401.pdf

Ironically, what does the most damage to human bodies is oxygen... and the first great mass extinction was when earth got polluted by an abundance of oxygen, which is/was a waste product from plant(like) organisms. Few life forms survived because they were able to adapt and survive the oxygen, even if it does put a constant strain on those organisms and those that descended and evolved from them. (which is why anti-oxidants are supposed to slow the aging process, you essentially "rust" at a slower pace ) Edit: I use the word 'ironically' because the same stuff that kills us is also something we became dependent on for survival

Australian immigration authorities might decide to deny you any visitors visa

My eyesight is so bad, I need glasses for reading stuff that is more than 20cm away, so I have two pairs of glasses. One for indoor (close range, sitting at screen, reading, cooking, whatever) and outdoors (reading road signs, recognizing buildings etc.) (No, I don't actually have a pair of sunglasses)

Now, about that rivalry between Carthage and Rome...

I think there is a bit more to it... the little boy that get beaten, humiliated, locked into the closet etc. by the bigger boy is the same that go on a killing spree as an adult and murders all those that tormented him as a kid. The now adult bully victim hates all children for their cruelty... unless they are his own kids. edit: by extension mocking clueless parents who all believe *their* children are little angels and not the vicious little psychopaths they can be

By far not the only ones who got predictions about the future wrong... 1) 1876: "The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys." William Preece, British Post Office (After several evolutions, the introduction of the telemessage in 1982 effectively ended the need for messenger boys). 2) 1876: "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication." William Orton, President of Western Union (Today there are estimated to be over 9 billion mobile phones in circulation, more than the number of people in the world). 3) 1889: “Fooling around with alternating current (AC) is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever.” Thomas Edison (Following the ‘war of the currents’ of the 1880’s with George Westinghouse, AC is now used worldwide). 4) 1903: “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad.” President of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, not to invest in the Ford Motor Company (Today there are estimated to be a billion cars on the roads around the world). 5) 1943: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM (Today there are estimated to be two billion computers in use around the world). 6) 1946: "Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." Darryl Zanuck, 20th Century Fox (Today there is estimated to be at least one television set in 1.4 billion households around the world). 7) 1955: "Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years." Alex Lewyt, President of the Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Company (While the product has become a reality, it is not used by many due to the dangers of nuclear power, highlighted by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986). 1959: "Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail.” Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General (Man landed on the moon in 1969, while rocket mail has still to become a reality). 9) 1966: "Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop.” Time Magazine (Amazon online has reached over $200 billion turnover over the last several years). 10) 1981: “Cellular phones will absolutely not replace local wire systems.” Marty Cooper, inventor (There are estimated to be just over a billion landlines worldwide compared to 9 billion mobile phones). 11) 1995: "I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse." Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com (In 2019 an estimated 4.13 billion people have regular internet access). 12) 1996: "Apple is a chaotic mess without a strategic vision and certainly no future."- TIME Magazine (As of 2019, Apple's net worth has been sitting around $940 billion). 13) 1997: "I'd shut Apple down and give the money back to the shareholders."- Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell, Inc. (As of early 2020, Apple’s share price is over $300). 14) 2004: "Two years from now, spam will be solved." Bill Gates (Today 90% of all emails sent are categorised as spam). 15) 2005: "There's just not that many videos I want to watch." Steve Chen, CTO and co-founder of YouTube expressing concerns about his company’s long term viability (The total number of hours of video watched on YouTube each month is estimated to be approx. 3.25 billion). 16) 2006: "Everyone's always asking me when Apple will come out with a cell phone. My answer is, 'Probably never.'" David Pogue, The New York Times (The first iPhone was released in 2007 and since then over 2.2 billion handsets have been sold worldwide). 17) 2007: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO (Approx. more than 40% of mobile phone handsets are believed to be iPhones). Sources https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertszczerba/2015/01/05/15-worst-tech-predictions-of-all-time/#7f5456812997

A bit more on topic... Lindemann - Ich hasse Kinder (I hate children). As far as I understand the song, about childhood bullying and vengeance

I've never seen the show, but I do like the title. It has a nice ring to it

I suppose it's a good thing if a parliament can all laugh together at some internal jokes at each others expense. Makes a bit more sense if you know the parties referenced, as one of them is an "alt right" type party, yet it still agreed to support the transaction (they are known for they anti immigration policy and still agreed to letting a camel named Ali move to Denmark, playing on some bad name stereotypes) Edit: The debates used to be quite heated in the past when debating whether immigrants should be allowed to be united with family and to which degree of separation of relationship would qualify for immigration purposes. Yet this time, nobody argued against the poor elephant girl bringing her camel lover with her to Denmark.

It's been ages since I've had Sake. I better remedy that My normal poison of choice is a cheap red wine, which is an exclusive for a particular chain of supermarket owned stores. It's like $11 when on sale (that's about $8.50 USD) and lasts me over the weekend. Like Friday night dinner, Saturday night dinner and Sunday night dinner Every now and then, I like to try out something I don't know what is and get surprised. Pleasantly or the opposite. This time, my eyes fell on a bottle with a bright yellow label with a red dragon on it and the name "Fireball". A pleasant surprise, but the almost chili pepper like bite was unexpected It's a Canadian cinnamon flavoured whiskey. I only get the small (200ml or less) bottles when experimenting, but I might some day get a real sized bottle of it. I do love all things cinnamon.

Q&A session in the Danish parliament. Finally addressing the elephant in the room... (English subtitles)

Speaking of Ukraine... not really on topic per se, but still worth watching. My favourite Ukrainian entry into anything

Sort of toss up between putting it here or the weird and interesting thread, as it's a weird and interesting incident in the military

One of Australia's bigger problems is housing prices. Mostly because they have become investment objects, so the "haves" buy them up in larger and larger quantities, driving up prices so the "have nots" have no chance of entering the housing market (despite being families consisting of decent money earners). The gap is increasing at a worrying pace at the moment. Meh, you know you're getting old when you can just sit and enjoy a cup of hazelnut flavoured instant coffee That's not a coffee for "real men!"... My ancestors would be ashamed of me

I'm sure they could offer an olive branch to the US military...