War on Scales 5

After getting to Overlook, we find out that the Orcs from the other side of the mountain (in an area called 'Orc Country'... could be something in that name, but I'm not quite sure) are getting through. However, they aren't going through the main pass, so the mountain is leaky! We get assigned a Dwarven monastery to investigate.

When we get there, the first clue that we are on the right track is the orcish chanting we hear while approaching the courtyard. Yep. There be orcs. Bah, what problem to us? We head in and start smacking... except we don't target the main baddies which come up and gank me! I try to get away, then the other orcs surround me and gank me harder! Cleric, heal thyself! I'm in trouble! Fortunately, I am able to get us some resistance, but that's not something I can do often. (About, say, once a day.) If we need that ability later well... we'd better not. Although there is some issue, we do clear the area.

Inside is a large room, some form of church area, where there are pews, an orc witch and lots of newly dead dwarven bodies. We move in, snipers appear, then the assassin one-shot kills the witch. Hah! Orcs spill in from down below, and I steal-kill nearly everyone else left in the room. That's just funny!

Down below, there's a large Dwarf statue, and more orcs and orcish type creatures. They give the Warforged a run for his money, and task me with my healing abilities (I'm tapped by the end). It's amazing just how random these fights end out.

Heading on, we come across a set of stairways leading down with orcs heading up. We set an ambush, hit them hard, and the assassin still goes down, almost but not quite permanently. Fortunately, I'm good at what I do, and what I do is get my compatriots back on their feet. We lay the smack down (and the Warforged gets smacked himself a fair bit), and the last opponent makes good friends with the ground.

We head down and find a large cavern with lots of orcs, one large one who is beating up on a dwarf. We get ready to head in... (and may suddenly find ourselves with reinforcements, we shall see...)

[END]

Read more!

Electronic Pen and Paper

It has been pointed out that I do a few RPG games, D&D, Shadowrun, FUDGE... but what of the electronic versions? What of Baldur's Gate? Morrowind? Dragon Age? World of Warcraft? (And there is a really good reason to join WoW.)

The short answer is... No. But since that makes for a short post, here's the longer answer. There are a number of factors...

Time Sink. It takes time to play these things. I have a lot of podcasts and other audio, DVDs and another videos, books and another visuals... I don't have time for those! (I am trying to cut back on DVDs just because I have so many, but am still getting more!)

Money Sink. It costs, too! Dragon Age: Origins is... $90. For that I could get two seasons of something. Which links back into time sink, what is a better time/money investment? Two full seasons is... 30 or so hours. Dragon Age... could entirely vary, depending on how well one does goes after the main quest, or tries to complete all the side quests, etc, etc. I've heard time lengths of 100 hours. Looks like Dragon Age would win out there. However...

Combat. Most of these games comes down to 'beat this fight'. Um, yeah, not really interested. Doesn't help that I'm not that good at combat either if it involves "press this combination for SUPER DOOPER MASSIVE KILL THEM ALL combo, although one wrong press means you flail ineffectually". That doesn't excite me (partly because I'm not coordinated enough to be good). Alternatively, it's "press button to attack" and what happens is random aside from having to press the button. And a lot of games are just going from one combat to another (most MMORGs and many, many, many RPG games).

Story. I'm interested in the story, but have no interest in fighting through to find it. Fine, watching a movie, reading a book, etc., is far more passive, but the story unfolds. I'm not stuck trying to get past this boss fight, or trying to find Bob in the village, or whatever before I get to the next section of plot. Yes, I do cheat, but that's because I'm interested in the story, not in fighting the game (as opposed to fighting in the game) to get on with it.

Interaction. A really big factor... social! Bouncing off the wacky things other people come up with is emmensely fun! Even in combat, the weird things that can happen are beyond anything a computer experience could deliver.

DRM. I use a PC, do not have a console of any sort, and the tales I hear of SecuROM, online activation, limited installs, etc., etc., etc., do not inspire me to start installing.

I do have a number of games sitting in my drawer, but haven't played any of them recently. Not sure I can now. When I got them, Vista wasn't an option to be listed, and some games I did like (O.D.T.) wouldn't even play on XP.

Ultimately, I have other things to do.

But do you play?

[END]

Read more!

Running in Shadows

Nearly didn't make the start of the game. Buses packed and traffic stopped due to people coming back from the Run Around the Bays. No idea what announcements happened, but, hey, got to game.

A nice simple mission: extract someone. But then put them back. Without anyone noticing. Like some kind of extraordinary sleight of hand trick. Oh, and it's the head of a major corporation. Yeah, no problems there.

There are always several ways of doing these missions, and we have the knack of avoiding any combat whatsoever, and this was no different. We spent most of the time planning the mission and only about an hour actually undergoing it. Largely without issue... largely. (Really, the GM is far too nice to us.)

And now I'm one point off Initiation... one point! Ah well...

[END]

Read more!

NOTICE ME!!!!!

The point of the car alarum is to alert the owner that something is going on with their car. One would think then, that the car owner would actually care if the alarm went of. Especially if it was HALF PAST THREE IN THE FRICKIN' MORNING!!!!

Otherwise, we're rooting for the burglers to get rid of the damn noisy thing...

On the other hand, it seems that only I noticed when it went off then... and also went it frequently went off over the next hours... I need my sleep back!

[END]

Read more!

Placebos for everyone!

We ('we' being a vague general group of skeptics and scientists and careful minded folk) have known that placebos can have an actual effect. This has now been backed up by a new study. This isn't really that surprising. (I was thinking to think of a 'placebo study' joke about studying studies that produced no results... couldn't get it to work, so feel free to suggest your own.)

That there is a placebo effect at all means that any medical treatment needs to be compared to placebos in controlled trials to see if there is any actual impact outside of the placebo effect. This is the problem that many alternative medicines fail to pass (which leads to such things as 'even placebo acupuncture is as effective as real acupuncture!'... yes, but not in the way you are thinking). [As has been said before: what do we call alternative medicine that passes such trials? Medicine! If it provably works, it wouldn't be alternative.]

The results of this study suggest that the impact of placebos is stronger than thought before (a result revealed in the URL!). Human delusion is quite a powerful thing, and can lead to physiological changes. This has been seen in the trials mentioned above, but this study says 'it's better than we thought!'. If so (and one study does not a confirmed result make), then that power of mind over matter is something that needs to be examined. Perhaps 'good thoughts' will become part of a doctor's prescription...

...although I'm not sure how it will be delivered in some cases, especially for cynics like me. The real power of placebo is that you don't know you're being placeboed, but if these treatments become standard, and, more relevantly, known that this is what's happening... that's gonna be a toughie to pull off...

I am reminded of the Dilbert episode:
Dogbert: This'll cure you immediately.
Dilbert: Really? What is it?
Dogbert: A placebo.
Dilbert: A placebo? Now that you've told me it's a placebo, it's not gonna work.
Dogbert: It will if you think it will.
Dilbert: But I already know it's a placebo!
Dogbert: Maybe it isn't.
Dilbert: You just said it was!
Dogbert: That's precisely the power of the placebo.

[END]

Read more!

Bring the Storm!

Another set of comic collections are about WUH! Particularly with the Avengers.

First up, we have the Kree/Skrull War. Although you'd be forgiven for realising there's a war on as it's mainly about Captain Mar-vell complaining about his life, and the Vision being a robot. What's that? The Avengers has people like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America in it? Not these Avengers! As far as that goes, these are the second stringer Avengers. In a war that's barely on the page. Bit of a let down really, but still a nicely produced collection, and it is referenced in...

Operation Galactic Storm! Now this is more like it! The Kree! The Shi'ar! Whoever they are! Yeah, never heard of them before, but they seem like people care about them. Moreover, these are the full set of Avengers, including the main Avengers we expect. More moreover, this is a two-volume set that includes all the comics involved (which spreads over half-a-dozen titles), some follow up issues, and the two-parter What If: The Avengers Lost Operation Galactic Storm? (Although, to be honest, I was never sure what exactly the "Galactic Storm" operation was. Was it the Avengers trying to stop the war? Was it one race's plan for beating on the other? No idea.)

I like reading about the big important events and, according to the PR, this is big and repercussiony. Great stuff!

[END]

Read more!

To Infinity And... Some Other Places!

I read comics. A lot of comics. Especially at the moment, where I've got this large stack to get through. Now, while I am more of a DC guy, I am enjoying Marvel collections at the moment.

One recent set of comics I highly recommend some works by Jim Starlin.

It starts with the Rebirth of Thanos, as kicked off in Silver Surfer. It has... surprise, surprise... the return of Thanos of Titan. While I have no idea who he is, he's a big powerful beasty and will be doing things cosmic. I like things cosmic. This collection includes the Thanos Quest, in which Thanos gets his hands on the Soul Gems, aka the Infinity Gems.

Which leads into The Infinity Gauntlet. This is the collection of works around the big fight with Thanos as he holds the Infinity Gauntlet and has more power than anyone in the universe. I won't give away the ending, but here's a hint: the Marvel universe isn't under his thrall. Some other comics might tie in, but not included here.

After the Gauntlet is The Infinity War in which the Magus goes for the gems. While this has all the comics of the mini-series, it also includes extra comics relating to Adam Warlock. However, the comics are in the back of the collection, so if you want to read in order, you have to flip back and forth.

It's not over, however, as the end of the above leads into The Infinity Crusade, which has more religious overtones. Whilst not featuring the Infinity Gems, this does have another cosmic source. And, this collection is a two-parter, and includes the additional comics that complete the story tie-in. All written by Starlin. Great stuff.

While that is a great set of stories, there is also The Infinity Abyss (good luck find a cheap copy of that!). It still entails cosmic happenings, and yet is a more personal and intimate tale (if that can be said of an adventure which goes outside of time and space). Again just the miniseries is collected, any additional comics are not included.

If there is another part of tale, I'm unaware of it, but I recommend these to anyone who wants great story-telling.

[END]

Read more!