Cantousent

I haven't had the pleasure of reading the Forgotten Realms books. I have to take your word for it that the Star Wars books and movies provide in terms of literary quality. Nevertheless, Star Wars isn't based on a ruleset. Do you contend that George Lucas tossed some dice in order to see what would next happen while writing the screenplay? My point is that most systems don't do very well in depicting events as they would occur in "real life." I respect the fact that you dislike the d20 philosophy. On the other hand, I tend to like d20. I'm not a beginner, but my friends and I don't have the time to get together to play role-playing games more than once a month, and that's if we're lucky. A nice, simple rule-set that doesn't ruin the fun of the game by micro-managing the rules fits us perfectly. At any rate, if there's a large enough niche for alternate rulesets, then you're going to have access choices.

Troika finally earned the fanatical devotion their fans have lavished upon them by making V:tM Bloodlines. Too bad it was their swan song.

I was actually quite happy with the change to d20 for Dungeons and Dragons. I guess I'm part of the fanbase for d20. From what I understand, the characters and events for the Forgotten Realms series of books were not adequately explained by either the 2nd edition or 3rd edition ruleset. Writing a story set in an existing game system must be irritating. Creating a game system for an existing work of literature must be equally frustrating. After all, to adhere slavishly to the confines of the work denies flexibility to the ruleset.

If we can't come to some sort of broad consensus concerning intelligence, do you think we'll have a working definition of wisdom? Let's save Charisma for last. That one will be easy! hahahahaha Actually, I do have something to say about Charisma, since I picked it as my best attribute at 14. I've often thought it was funny that my online persona seems so... stuffy. In the flesh, I'm kind of a goofy sort of fellow. I joke around a lot and tease people and basically act with good humor. When I make a joke online it often comes across as either serious or humorous with a meanspirited twist. Don't get me wrong, I have epic battles with my temper, but I'm quick to forgive and even quicker to laugh. There's something about online interaction that makes everything seem so formal.

Well, I'm finished with Painkiller on Insomnia and now I'll have to get started on my "finish everything" run.

I think it's fair to say that there is some innate ability involved with each person's intellect while their decisions and environment have an increasing effect as the person grows older.

I'm almost done with Painkiller. It's actually a very good title. I didn't like the beginning much, but it's grown on me since then.

Yeah, well, women also like someone who can take charge. I try to balance between Carth and Canderous. Maybe a sort of Cartherous. That way, I can show my sensitivity before I demand sex.

Sounds like a guy who just doesn't understand women. Also sounds like jealousy. heh heh heh

I would have to say Planescape: Torment is my favorite all time game. Then would be Zork. After that, there are a ton of great games in no particular order: American McGee's ALICE EU2 Civ1 TSR's Gold box DnD series Pretty much all of the IE games Sun Dog Quest for Glory Dark Fall Grim Fandango ah, these lists go on forever

I voted for Carth. Hate me all you want. As for the hottest, I'd pick mission if she weren't jailbait.

I'd suggest Wizardry 8 to anyone who enjoys a nice, turn based combat every other step of the world. At first it's something like: Cool, turn based goodness! After a while it's like: hey, didn't I fight for every step of this place already? The it's something along the lines of: Okay, how can I get from place to place with the least risk of yet another random encounter that will take at least 1/2 hour to finish? Finally, the last stage is: Maybe I can find my old Might and Magic CDs. Wizardry 8 is another great game ruined by designers who have the Tarzan complex. Sure, you can make a real man's game, but when all that random crap leads more to boredom than enjoyment, then you've made a mistake. Heaven help us from game developers beating their chests so they can make a "real" game.

Painkiller Gold. It's got it's good points and bad points. Something weird: I opened the box and there's this Penny Arcade comic included with the game. The main character is named Daniel and his wife is named Catherine. I'm Daniel and my wife is named Catherine. Spooky! Especially when you think the game is about some poor fool named Daniel who dies and is forced to fight demons in order to purify himself so he can get to his wife, Catherine, in heaven.

Everything is an opportunity for you guys to spam! For shame.

I'd love to see a good Shadowrun game. What I'd like even more is to see a good Lovecraftian game. I know there's a Call of Cthulu game scheduled for release this year or next. I just don't know if it will be any good. I don't hold out much hope for Shadowrun, but I guess anything is possible.

I had what a lot of folks would consider an

I'm sorry, friends, but I'll have to weigh in on this at great length. Don't say I didn't warn you. Before I write my ponderous post, however, let me observe that, when last I heard, proper IQ tests are administered by psychologists, not the internet. At least all mine were. Ahhh, that statement is a great opportunity to go write my post!

My score was 120, which gives me the opportunity to make a few points. I don't know how to take and include a screen shot in a post. That means that I could conceivably score higher than some folks who would readily know how to carry out such an action. I am too lazy to figure out how to take a screen shot and post it. I could conceivably score higher than some folks who would go out of their way to take this test and post the score. I put my intelligence as slightly above the average (12) and this test, if it is reliable, confirms my suspicions. The question is: does this test accurately depict our intelligence? In my case, I suspect it does. ...But I suspect many folks are frightened by the prospect of taking this test because it will shatter their image of themselves. To them I say, don't fret. It's just a test. The true tests of your wit, intelligence, and resourcefulness don't come from online surveys. The true test of your intelligence comes from your reaction to real life situations, something damned difficult to predict in advance. Luckily for me, I didn't make much claim to intelligence. I can say these things. You don't have to be a genius to know how to live a good life or be a productive member of society. You also have nothing to prove. If you're super intelligent, then you should know it and be happy. If you're a bit above average, like me, well... there's something liberating in accepting my limitations. The least intelligent person in this discussion is undoubtedly quite smart. That person may very well be me, in which case, I

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's probably the best Batman film to date, and certainly far better than the recent offerings.

Now that you mention it, Fish, I thought civ 3 was a pain. Civs 1 and 2 were classics. Civ 3 was not.

hahaha clever. I read those quite a bit myself.

I just finished Children of the Mind, the last of the Ender Wiggen series. It was a good read. None of them really compare with Ender's Game, but I liked the series well enough. I guess, to join in the rating mania, I would say I enjoyed Ender's game best, followed by Speaker for the Dead, then Children of the Mind, and last would be Xenocide. The Bean series is pretty good, but it just doesn't measure up to the Ender line. I have yet to read Shadow of the Giant. It is another dramatic jump for the series, so I might end up liking Shadow of the Giant more than the other books in the Bean series. After that, I'll probably read something a bit more academic. Maybe a Greek or Latin title. ...Or maybe a Greek and Latin title, after which I'll get into another sci-fi or fantasy book.

From Torment, right? That was my favourite story from those sensory stones. :cool: <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Same area, but that's the story Morte tells.

"...that was your first wish."

"I mean no offense(really, I dont, Im just curious) but doesnt it feel a bit strange to go from BIS to making a pure hack n slash action game without roleplaying elements, like Gauntlet:SS? I would feel kind of backwards " Perhaps Sawyer felt it was an opportunity to try his hand at something different. ...To explore, so to speak. On the other hand, perhaps he didn't have a lot of other options. Was there no space in Obsidian for his trade. After all, why would someone like Avellone, with all of his "street cred," want to make space for a former message board monkey like Sawyer? I'm not going out of my way to be offensive, but I'm willing to be a bit abrasive since this subject is out in the open. On paper, Sawyer has all of the makings of an excellent RPG designer. I suspect, however, that he has more of the makings for a hack and slash designer. That remains to be seen. How well have his hack and slash games done? It seems to me that the vast majority of lead game designers don't have a blockbuster hit under their belt. Sawyer, as far as I know, is part of the vast majority. The thing is, hack and slash might be a perfect genre for Sawyer. Just because a game is "hack and slash" does not mean that it cannot have a good backstory or provide hours of entertainment. After all, regardless of anything else, Icewind Dale remains one of my favorite games. Oh, I'm quite on topic in saying that, if I see it in the store and I hear good things about it, I might give Gauntlet a try.