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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 04-07-2009 23:31
Title: Technological Improvements over Pen 'n' Paper
Access: Public
Tags:computers, d&d

Mark me down as the latest rube to sign up for WotC's D&D Insider.

Even if it did take me approximately an hour to get the installation software to start, the character generator seems pretty easy to use. It would have been nice if they'd thrown the maths up on the finalised character sheet (or at least gave that as an option) so one can be confident of which feat and item is giving what, and which conditional bonuses haven't been included. Especially considering it refuses to scale up for tiers the reminder-text on the feats,and if that text is too much for the sheet, it just cuts some feats off, leaving their inclusion implied. Other feats it labels as 'miscellaneous' increases to defence values.

Presumably it's not so bad when slowly added to over time; converting Shibboleth across was relatively painless. Who would have thought that a twenty-first level Genasi wizard would have been a complicated character to throw together, though? Yet despite the problems,despite the mild set-back where the program refused to accept a re-training and corrupted my first save file, Kyumulo Nimbus is ready for a day of epic-scale dungeon delving with membersof Team Olli.

It'll be my first real attempt at the epic tier of play, and perhaps I over-complicated things for myself by choosing a character whose cascading weather powers and feats each overlap and interact with each other. But then there's silliness like a base teleport speed of 5 as an at-will movement action that requires no thinking, only giggling.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 19-06-2009 23:25
Title: Revenge of the Fallen
Access: Public
Tags:giant robots, movies, transformers

The new Transformers movie was decent enough, in its way. The plot was preposterous and Michael Bay's drippy love affair with the US military was distracting, but let's not dwell on negatives.

There's some top quality Soundwave and Starscream, and a great attempt at redeeming the shameful name of Wheelie. Too many robots, not enough screen-time, though (since every spare second was given over to aircraft carriers and control rooms and OHGODTHECROTCHICAN'TFORGETIT). The new 'bots and 'cons edge out the old ones in a manner that the old cartoon would have been proud of.

Lots of explosions and shooting, but a pity that the final fight takes place in a location not too different from one in the previous movie; it would've been cool to see a vastly different terrain being napalmed. It would also have been cool to have some more aerial combat, in place of the masterful strategy adopted by the Deceptions.

I don't hate it. It just could've benefitted from a surgical removal of Michael Bay.

Oh, and there's nothing after the credits. Which themselves still don't feature anything like the following:

Read more... )

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 14-06-2009 20:32
Title: Star Wars Thoughts
Access: Public
Tags:star wars

Since there are possibly a few people that still haven't seen this, go look at the Deceived Cinematic Trailer for the forthcoming Star Wars Old Republic MMO. The game won't look as pretty as that, but that video does have some sweet lightsaber fighting, as well as acknowledging the fact that any bounty hunter created for the system will be a Boba Fett rip-off. I don't quite understand why that gunslinging Twi'lek was in the midst of all those Sith and Jedi, though.

***

Thinking back to the Clone Wars cartoon (the Samurai jack one, not the CGI one)... Anakin had that padawan braid cut off when he qualified to be a full Jedi, and Obi-Wan lost his between Episode I and Episode II, so it's clearly a Jedi tradition.

So what do all those hairless alien types do instead?

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 12-06-2009 08:07
Title: The Best Name Ever
Access: Public

Praise-God Barebone.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 07-06-2009 12:14
Title: Warlord Webcomic
Access: Public
Tags:ccg, warlord, webcomic

Much-delayed, the Warlord CCG Webcomic is here.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 17-05-2009 10:04
Title: 2009 D&D Day II
Access: Public
Tags:clifton road games, d&d




It'll be taking place this coming Sunday, at Clifton Road Games.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 12-05-2009 18:12
Title: What Monster Am I?
Access: Public
Tags:d&d, internet quiz


D&D Home Page - What Monster Are You? - D&D Compendium

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 12-05-2009 13:31
Title: Axes and Slave Girls
Access: Public

More on Barack the Barbarian

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 27-04-2009 22:28
Title: Exeter May Day Gaming Weekend
Access: Public
Tags:board games, classroom deathmatch, clifton road games, games, panty explosion, rpg, star wars

It may possibly be redundant mentioning this here, as anyone reading this will probably either already know or be incapable of attending even if interested, but this coming weekend (the one that has a Bank Holiday Monday attached to its rear) will be a gaming extravaganza at Clifton Road Games, just like last year.

Friday through Monday, ten 'til late, with all manner of board games, card games and RPGs. I myself will be running some Star Wars RPG (and will have Panty Explosion and Classroom Deathmatch with me just in case), but there will also be wonders of which I have no prior knowledge. The only way to learn of them will be to turn up and discover 'em for yourself.

It'll be fun. I promise.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 24-04-2009 17:13
Title: As Wise as the Day is Wide
Access: Public
Tags:40k, dark heresy, rpg

With Alex and Stroge returning to Exeter soon, the Dark Heresy campaign can resume this Sunday, in the Freddie Mercury Room.

Of course, it's been a while since the last session, so perhaps the players are in need of a short recap of their investigations to date.

From the records of Inquisitor Al'Fredard... )

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 13-04-2009 21:39
Title: Robot Lions
Access: Public
Tags:games, giant robots, miniatures

Privateer Press gets VOLTRON license.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 05-04-2009 22:30
Title: Save the Anti-Christ, Save the World
Access: Public
Tags:comicbooks, ghost rider

The forthcoming Ghost Rider storyline:

In order to stop Zadkiel from obtaining ultimate power, the Ghost Riders and their allies will find themselves protecting an unlikely person. “Everything kind of kicks into gear with the revelation that Zadkiel is attempting to murder the Anti-Christ,” Aaron said. “A group of Satanists have been working together for years to breed the perfect Anti-Christ, and there's rooms of babies and children who've all been bred from murderers, maniacs, psychopaths and politicians in order to create the perfect Anti-Christ. So Zadkiel wants to wipe them out. He wants to subvert biblical prophecy. If there's no Anti-Christ, the Book of Revelations is thrown out the window and Zadkiel can write the future himself.

“So Blaze, Caretaker, a ‘Son of Satan’ who pops up along the way, and a few other characters find themselves in the awkward position of having to save the Anti-Christ in order to save the world. And of course all of that's going to lead to a final confrontation with Zadkiel.”


Genius.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 31-03-2009 13:37
Title: Barack the Barbarian
Access: Public
Tags:comicbooks

Too awesome for words,really.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 18-03-2009 21:10
Title: To Die Free
Access: Public
Tags:ccg, warlord, writing

Part One of Several.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 15-03-2009 01:09
Title: Cock It
Access: Public
Tags:food, video games, zombies



Stupid Resident Evil 5. I'd actually intended to eat proper food for once this weekend.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 07-03-2009 08:33
Title: And Another Thing...
Access: Public
Mood:Pedantic
Tags:comicbooks, movies, watchmen

Turns out that my tirade on the Watchmen does just devolve into a list of seemingly random changes made to the sections that they left in from the book. It's obviously impossible to present conclusions without first addressing the points that lead to them, so naturally the following is full of spoilers.

That, and whiny nit-picking. Seriously. )

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 06-03-2009 23:43
Title: Watchmen was Great!!!!
Access: Public
Tags:comicbooks, movies, watchmen

"Joking, of course."

(and where was that line in the movie?)

Giant, steaming turd. A fuller description will follow tomorrow, once I've stewed over it a little. In short, it's not so much what they cut that annoys me, as that which they left in, yet subtly changed (mainly to add more shocking gore). Even now, briefly glancing through the book as I get home, I'm wondering at changes that seem to have been made just for the sake of it.

Example: why change the name of Big Figure's henchman from Michael to Lloyd? In what way does that ease the transition from printed page to screen?

Of course, picking on little bits like that will just make me seem like a crank, so I'll formulate a more structured dissection tomorrow, as I said.

Also, I'll have to buy some Alan Moore book to apologise to the guy for giving money to his unwanted child.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 24-02-2009 17:24
Title: IOotD
Access: Public

I notice that the toilets at work sport a sign - near the sinks - announcing that one should show caution on account of hot water.

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 23-02-2009 21:01
Title: BitD
Access: Public

The Twenty Craziest TMNT Friends & Foes. Can't say that I remember a single one of 'em. Which is a good thing, considering the nightmares I presume they'd have given me...

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Laurence J Sinclair
Date: 20-02-2009 12:53
Title: Sob
Access: Public
Mood:Hungry, angry baby
Tags:cutting short evil monologues, tears, video games

I just completed Fable II (well, saw the storyline ending, anyway - it's far from 'complete'), and I have genuine tears in my eyes. Never have I been so happy to see a damn cartoon dog.

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