ramza

It was just for the fun of it... The plot thickens, I wrote to him once more to check on his seriousness and asked him if he could send me some pics and if the box was 100% complete and in what condition. Here's his reply: "Yeah man, i'll get you some pics tonight. The box is complete, all the books, dice, cards and packaging is all there. I didn't play this set much, really I would say no more than 2-4 times. We all used custom built decks mostly." Wait and see... PS: what's with the "hey man" this, "yeah man" that? weird fella...

Interesting... http://encyclopediadramatica.com/PayPal

I keep hearing the same story since 1998. Never happened, never gonna happen...

Should I send him the pic?

I will just wait and see how serious the guy is. If he isn't, I will cancel the deal.

The trick is to never buy expensive stuff on ebay (electronics, etc). I always put a cap of 50 euros/dollars whenever I buy something from ebay, so that I may not lose much money if the inevitable had to happen. So far, I have made around 30 purchases over 2 years and I never had a single problem. I have even bought some d&d books from the USA and got them shipped at my cousin's address in Boston.

Well, the guy doesn't seem that much eager to get my money so it may not be a scam after all. I have decided to give it a go and see what happens. I have made an extensive search on the net and I can always order a chargeback to my bank if things go wrong. I have asked the guy to create a verified paypal account (so that he may not run away) and here's what he answered: "OK, i'll let you know when I get things going. I've been meaning to set one up anyhow. But things have been busy for us lately. Anyways, i'll let you know! Thanks my man" What can I say? Seems genuine enough despite the overall weird writing style... I bet it will take him over 2 weeks to set up an account though. I will wait and see... Besides, I can always change my mind later on if he doesn't show enough seriousness...

Well, there is some very beautiful art on many MtG cards...

So, what happened...?

The more I think about it, the more I believe that Fallout 3 provides an experience that is similar to that of any GTA game, Fable or any MMORPG. Wander around, kill stuff on your way, do want you want with NPCs, customize your character's appearance, dialog-light, etc. It's definitely not what I am looking for. I will try to enjoy the game for what it is. It can be fun but it's one of those games you eventually stop playing after a while... I like the radio though, it's fun having it switched on while fighting.

Concerning CoD, I was not talking about the interaction but the fact that you had a whole party of soldiers on your side. You weren't a one-man army. And well, yes. You may be right about the 3rd person view. There's no way I can compare it to that in Kotor and Jade empire.

Both actually are shallow criteria actually. Sure, they have to be taken into consideration but it's the personality that matters the most.

After playing a bit more, I better understand what I don't like about Fallout 3. I have tried to compare it to other games I have liked such as Kotor 1, Jade empire or the witcher and see what's different. It's definitely not the third person 3D view, as those games have it as well. It's not really the dialogs as each NPC has a few lines to say. I don't like the shooter aspect, it doesn't suit an rpg in my opinion. I miss the party interaction. Actually, I have been avoiding games where you play a loner. This even applies to FPS games, which is why I only play CoD games. Again, I repeat myself but the interface is clunky and the character is too slow when moving. I have two different saves: one in which I play a psycho killer (I managed to kill the sheriff and steal his machine gun, and it was much easier killing everyone in Megaton with it) and one where I play more along Beth's lines. I like the sense of freedom in the game. I have actually always wished there. After playing Fallout 3, I realized this is not a good thing as you can waste hours wandering aimlessly. You even lose any sense of purpose in the game. Fine, the side quests seem interesting but I need a stronger main plot. Just like in Oblivion, the main plot tends to fall in the background and will eventually pop in again under specific circumstances.

I think I will skip this. The 200 extra cards sound tempting but there are always auctions popping up from time to time on ebay with reliable sellers with 100% positive ratings.

I did that so you could see the ad with your own eyes and judge whether it's a scam or not. There are always small things in an ad that may reveal whether it's a fake or not: the description, the writing style, the pictures. In this case, everything seems to be in order, unless I have failed my perception skill check...

Whatever... I just wanted to have some feedback from other craigslist users. It's a good deal, it looks genuine but I don't know if I can trust the guy. I won't be wasting any more of your time guys, thanks for the replies! I will figure out a solution on my own.

Well, it seems his listing genuinely expired as they last for 30 days so no worries here as it expired on the 19th of September. Oh, and here I found the original post thanks to Google Cache: I have for sale a Magic the Gathering "Beatdown" box set from 2000. It has been very gently used. Includes original packaging and sleeve, cards, dice, and books. These sell for $65-$100 online. I also have about 250 other random cards. All colors. Not just a bunch of land. Creatures, walls, spells, etc. All gently used. $50 takes it all. Contact Jason via E-mail anytime. * Location: SW Indy * it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Funnily, enough the ad still appears on google: Magic The Gathering "Beatdown" box set and 250 cards 19 Aug 2009 ... I have for sale a Magic the Gathering "Beatdown" box set from 2000. It has been very gently used. Includes original packaging and sleeve, ... indianapolis.craigslist.org/clt/1331852896.html When you click on the link, it says the posting has expired. Does this mean he has removed it? The listing is recent enough and I don't know how long it takes to expire. The guy could be lazy afterall...

Thanks for the suggestions! First thing, by the looks of it, it seems he doesn't have an ebay account nor a paypal account. Second thing, I can't make the transaction in person as the guy lives in Indianapolis and I live in Europe. I was about to ask him to send the box to a cousin of mine who lives in Boston and who will bring me the box when he comes back for Christmas. I think I will skip this transaction. He basically asks 50 dollars for a beatdown box set + approximately 100 cards from other sets. The beatdown box set is difficult to find these days and it has very good cards overall. The picture he had posted depicted all the box' contents along with the cards which he had put on his bed. Everything seemed in order and genuine enough but there's something weird about his overall behavior. It takes him something like 4-5 days to answer me each time I write to him, he hasn't answered all of my questions yet and he removed his ad from craiglist the very day I first wrote to him. To think I almost managed to get a brand new factory sealed set for 25 pounds on ebay.co.uk (shipping included)... I hate myself for hesitating so much, it was a real bargain...

I could always ask him to sell me this through ebay but there is indeed something wrong. I had sent him an email with various questions concerning the condition of the cards, if the box was 100% complete, etc and he didn't even bother answering these questions...

So, I have found some guy on craiglist who sells a very specific Magic the gathering box set I have been looking for. The price is correct and there was a picture of the box with the cards which were placed on some bed (so, I guess that means that the ad was not a fake one). Two issues: 1) From the moment I wrote to him to tell him I was interested, he deleted his ad on craiglist. Is that suspicious or not? 2) I wrote to him several times but he didn't reply to my emails until today. He offered to create a paypal account so that I could send the money and he told me I could trust him. Here's what he wrote: "Sorry, i've been very busy. I still have these magic cards. What if I set up a PayPal account? Would you feel safe doing it that way? I'm not going to rip you off, I've still got to sleep at night you know. Let me know what you think would be best to complete the transaction." What do you think? Can I trust him? Is paypal safe enough? Should I suggest him to sell me this through ebay or should I forget about the whole thing ans start looking elsewhere? Any piece of advice will be greatly appreciated.

By the way, do you guys know that DDO is free from now on? How about we create some guild?

Of course the highlighted part is reporter's own speculation, but as an industry site Gamasutra may have some insider knowledge, so who knows. Do you think he means BG3?

I am not a fan of the old Fallout games (except for Fallout Tactics maybe). Fallout3 has been equally praised and despised for various reasons. As I have already said, I just wanted to see what the fuss was all about. And as Slowtrain wrote, I am just posting my personal opinion. You are entitled to your own of course. Don't get me wrong, I try to like the game but so far I am not really pleased with what I have seen. And I am really trying to put aside the prejudice I have against Beth for their acknowledged bad taste. Fallout 3 is some kind of hybrid game that needs to be explored a bit more. What I have written are merely first impressions. Just wait for my final feedback in a week or 2.

Ramza tends to like crpgs in the more classical IE sense, so I think it natural that Ramza's take will definitely be not overwhelmingly positive. Ah, here's someone who finally understands my poor, tortured soul... More seriously, the game has got some fine points. The thing is Fallout 3 is a more action-oriented game than it is an RPG. It's as if I was playing an action game like...dunno... Tomb raider with dialog choices. At least, Tomb raider had some puzzles in it. There are some similarities with Zelda games, but there again, there were puzzles to make the game more interesting. Maybe I should stop pretending to be playing an rpg and play the game for what it is really. It may be the setting, it may be the clunky interface or the slow-paced exploration aspect, the lack of strategy in combat or the loner's aspect of the game... I dunno, there's something I don't like about the game. To tell the truth, I don't think I am the target audience. But, I definitely see it's potential appeal and the reasons of its success. VATS is really cool for example... I just try to understand what's wrong. I have been playing NWN2 and the witcher lately and fallout3 doesn't feel very alive compared to them. I want dialogs and interaction. I like some adventure games, some RTS games, I mainly like BIS and BIO rpgs and a very small selection of shooters (mainly CoD and MoH) but action games bore me to death. I am not about to give up on Fallout 3. I will keep playing it for a week or two and see if there's more to it.