Cantousent

They produce a lot of stuff folks want. It's just easier to pay for it than to mount a military offensive to take it. I'm not trying to insult the Swiss, and I really was just joking about the French. I've never met any Swiss, but the French I've met have all been great folks. Every one of them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Switzerland's neutrality came at an price paid in the blood of others. Had Germany won World War Two, there would be no such thing as a neutral nation in western Europe. Had the Soviet Union occupied western Europe... well, we saw what happened when the Soviet Union occupied foreign territory. Could the Swiss have driven out the Germans and Russians? *shrug* All things come to pass.

Switzerland has undoubtedly been a tough nut to crack. It's true. It's also been an easy nut to avoid. It serves no real purpose worth the effort of taking it. The Swiss have benefitted more from NATO force of arms than they can hope to benefit from their own. They can be neutral because they are surrounded by European nations not bent on conquest. Yes, neutrality is great, but the Swiss wouldn't have survived against Nazi Germany had it prevailed in the war. Switzerland did not raise its fist to challenge the nazis. It essentially said that it would provide a trading place for all comers. That, more than the threat of arms, is why the Swiss can afford to sit out every major war each century. Switzerland certainly wouldn't have put up a better struggle against the Germans prior to world war two than the the Finns did against the Russians. The difference? The Russians saw it as worth it to take on Finland. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the Swiss. In fact, I think they're an admirable country. Just don't get the idea that they're so mighty that no one has been willing to take them. They've been mighty enough, with enough money, that folks are unwilling to take the time to defeat them.

This is a good question. If this is the case, then I will most definitely wait to purchase the OS.

I'd actually prefer fantasy battle. Or, seriously, mordheim.

He wouldn't take you. I think a united planet is a pipe dream for crazies. That and folks who've watched too much Star Trek and don't realize it's a fantasy. It's also a utopian fantasy. hahaha Seriously, since we're being serious, I'm not against the idea of a united North America, but not in our current condition. It has to serve our interests better, and I don't just mean tradewise. Free trade is one thing. Security is another.

Cut out the crap, you human bastards. I have a solution! We'll all play Eldar. That way, we don't have to worry about the ridiculous humans in the first place.

Have we offended someone with our barbs? I wouldn't want to do that. ...But, on the other hand, barbs concerning my religion are beneath notice while some pretty damned low key quips about the French are real no-nos. I'm just wondering, for the sake of argument, if this constitutes policy on these boards now?

I'm just uncomfortable with Hilde. I do have a question though. Why do the French have three colors in their flag when they only use one?

Okay, seriously, I'd like to get a character started with you folks if this thing ever ships. Let me know who's doin' what. EDIT: No, you don't have to play an Eldar. I'll make one of those for solo play.

On what realm, Gfted1? I'm on Gilneas.

I'm fighting tempation. I've got a level 48 mage in WoW, and I can't really play both MMORPGs at the same time.

No, I'm far too comfortable to want to be the loner. However, for the sake of argument, I might think that it was an escape to a world where such immediate action was possible and even good. However, I was always fond of Danny Glover's character. He was the sensible one. Really, I laugh at comedies. I enjoy them. Does that means I want to live out the comedy situations? When Frasier was wrongfully arrested for giving a ride to a male prostitute, I thought it was funny. Did I want to live that episode? Don't be crazy! Hey, Riggs is a bad ass, and I thought it was great, but I don't want to prove my badassedness by killing folks and suviving torture. Marriage is bad enough. hahahahahahaha

Well, that's pretty much how it went down. The dreaded Drizzt made an appearance. I have to admit that I don't like the Forgotten Realms setting as such, but it has provided me with some great CRPGs.

Sexual promiscuity seems particularly apt in the case of drow. After all, they have become the symbol of chaotic evil and, by association, lack continence. The point isn't that they are sexually promiscuous. It is that they are promiscuous in all ways. They are random and capricious. As far as Drizzt goes, I can't make much of an argument. I don't care enough about Drizzt one way or the other. In a larger sense, however, I disagree with Pop whole-heartedly. For example, I go to action flicks sometimes. Hell, my wife enjoys a good action film from time to time. Now, we're both comfortable, middle-class Americans. We are educated. We don't desire to be the "loner out to save the world." I certainly don't leave the theater wishing I were "more like that guy." I generally leave talking about the film. It provides an escape, but enjoying an action film every now and then, in and of itself, does very little to describe me as a person. The sole fact that my wife and I, over the past week watched and enjoyed the Leathal Weapon series yields very little true insight to the casual observer. I watched it and enjoyed it. Sure, I rolled my eyes at some of the scenes that held me enthralled when I saw the films the first time. Still, it was a great escape. Now, I don't have any particular insecurities that prevent enjoying a PnP game. Perhaps I just lack the capacity to be embarassed by it. My biggest problem playing Dungeons and Dragons isn't that I can't find fellow adults my age to play. Hell, my groups have ranged early twenties to early sixties and from unemployed to lawyer. What is a problem, and probably the biggest reason PnP has become less and less relevant in my life, is the difficulty in accomodating conflicting schedules. That and the fact that a decent campaign requires real work on the part of the DM. That would be me the vast majority of the time, and I'm lazy. So, to recap, Drow aren't evil because they're sexually promiscuous. They aren't even promiscuous because they're evil. They are promiscuous because they lack fidelity in pretty much any sense and a big heaping dose of evil is added to the mix. Enjoying a Drizzt novel (which I have yet to do) does not, by itself, make any particular statement about the maturity or intellectual capacity of the reader. Complaining about the reader, however, might make a statement about you. ...And why is it that Drizzt warrants so much time in this thread when I don't recall him playing a vital role in any of the games we've cited. The most important impact he has in any of these games is giving you a significant hand with the... vampires I think it is in BG2?

I dunno. Vol's experiences are driving me more towards the 360. Maybe when I get back from England at the end of next month. I don't see any use buying something I won't be able to use.

Mordheim, the MMOG

Civil war is certainly not the answer. It would cost a lot of lives and the folks who talk about it, crazy left and right wing fringe, would not benefit from it. By the way, your side would lose. Don't seek a Civil War you have no chance of winning.

Give me a break. ...And Gore is a pretty long shot for president. It could happen, but neither party tends to return to someone who failed to carry the day for them in the first place. The Democrats need someone who will have broad appeal beyond left, and that leaves Gore out of it. He's made too many strident, shrieking speeches. If he weren't a senator, I'd think Obama would be their best bet. As it is, I'd look outside the senate for a candidate, but not to Gore.

It's a free ride! Anyone that objects can be stopped with a simple cry of "Racism!" ( kinda like this board at times. ) and the problem goes away like magic. Just ask Arnie The Testiculess of California. The simple fact that Mexicans and Americans are the same race need not interfere with such accusations. It's all about feeling good about your actions and not about facts. Crossing the boarder illegally need not make a criminal of you if your motives are good. Laws need not apply when the president has no interest in inforcing the laws of our own country when it benefits the presidential pals. We'll just send those pesky boarder police to prison if they have the timerity to enforce the immigration laws or even ( Heaven forbid! ) enforce our drug laws or even to protect their own lives. Sanctuary, my southern brother, sanctuary. Come on in! The door's wide open. Dinner's on the table and it's free. No questions asked. Awesome post. I wish I would have written it. hahaha Seriously, I'm jealous, bastard. :Eldar's toothy grin icon:

As long as I can play Eldar, I'll be happy.

Geez, you make it into one ancient document and the whole language goes to pot.

"Utility records show the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200 last year for its 10,000-square-foot home. The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, according to bills reviewed by The Associated Press. The typical Nashville household uses about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year." And that energy, by the way, is not green energy. He uses normal energy and "invests" in green power sources. Listen, I'm not even attacking the guy on his energy consumption as such. I don't really care. I just think that this is the exact sort of thing that draws fire. It has drawn fire. That's the way it is. So his consumption, according to that most conservative of think tanks, the Associated Press, is only several times more than the average household as opposed to severl times and then a couple more. The thing is they were never given the utility records. So, how did they get it? And yes, it is green energy. Nashville Electric Service offers a green energy substitution program where you can buy it in set blocks for a premium. I haven't done the math myself, but according to others, the cited killowatt hours and expenses correspond properly to paying this addition premium. I'll take your word for it in regards to the green energy issue. It doesn't change anything about conservation. As it regards the bills, however, we have a Time article stating that the bills were reviewed by "The Associated Press." Now, the think tank might have lied, but the Associated Press gives us those numbers. It's in the very article you cited.

"Utility records show the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200 last year for its 10,000-square-foot home. The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, according to bills reviewed by The Associated Press. The typical Nashville household uses about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year." And that energy, by the way, is not green energy. He uses normal energy and "invests" in green power sources. Listen, I'm not even attacking the guy on his energy consumption as such. I don't really care. I just think that this is the exact sort of thing that draws fire. It has drawn fire. That's the way it is. So his consumption, according to that most conservative of think tanks, the Associated Press, is only several times more than the average household as opposed to severl times and then a couple more.

Good lord. That has to be expensive.

In asmuchas he preaches green energy, I'll agree with you. Inasmuchas he preaches conservation, that kind of gross consumption is bad. I mean, if he's got that much green energy, which is so much better for the environment, he could use it to bolster the community. I sure as hell wouldn't. Anyhow, he's a public figure. These sorts of things happen. Hell, I think this will help his image. Instead of being the guy shrieking about other folks, he's the victim who's being attacked by the evil right. It certainly makes him more sympathetic.