Willow: Something evil-crashed to earth in this. Then it broke out and slithered away to do badness. Giles: Well, in all fairness, we don't really know about the "slithered" part. Anya: No, no, I'm sure it frisked about like a fluffy lamb.

'Never Leave Me'


Gaming 1: You are likely to be eaten by a grue

A thread for the discussion of games: board, LARP, MMORPG, video, tabletop RPG, game theory etc. etc. and all attendant news, developments and ancillary subjects thereof, as well as coordinating/scheduling games either online or IRL. All are welcome to chime in, talk about their favorite games or learn about gaming of any sort.

PLEASE TO WHITEFONT SPOILERS for video games, RPG modules or anything for which foreknowledge of events might lessen one's enjoyment of whatever gaming experience.


Rob - May 04, 2008 5:51:01 pm PDT #418 of 26132

I'm in the market for a better headset solution for my wife to use while we're playing World of Warcraft.

She's not found any of the cheap USB headsets I've gotten to be very comfortable, and almost all of them are too quiet when she speaks, even with the sound input preference pane set to maximum gain.

I'm very tempted to get her a Sennheiser HMD281-XQ headset. It looks very comfortable, and she'd prefer to have an ear clear to listen for the dogs getting into trouble.

That said, I'm not sure what to get with it to hook it up to a Mac Pro.

Does this idea make any sense? Is there a better way to go?


Volans - May 04, 2008 6:14:28 pm PDT #419 of 26132
move out and draw fire

Or Meat Shield. Whatev.

My Hispanic gunner got killed this afternoon, but blocked a lot of fire from hitting the driver. Who died anyway when the box of grenades in the Hum Vee cooked off.

I announced his name was now Escudo de Carne. And then had to explain it.

Also, "Bullet Sponge" has a nice ring to it, omnis.


NoiseDesign - May 04, 2008 6:34:04 pm PDT #420 of 26132
Our wings are not tired

ftr I did get my ass handed to me on the Buzz Lightyear ride.

It was only a 210,000 point lead the second game.


billytea - May 04, 2008 7:11:32 pm PDT #421 of 26132
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

Sean, have you seen there's more info about the D&D 4E GSL available today? WotC have updated the FAQ: [link]

Key news: the "3E OGL or 4E GSL: pick one" restriction applies to product line, not company. So, for instance, Paizo can publish Pathfinder using OGL material, and develop a 4E setting too if they choose to, but couldn't use the Pathfinder setting in 4E products. If I read it aright.

Also, "Bullet Sponge" has a nice ring to it, omnis.

Really? I'd expect squelching rather than ringing.

Frequent squelching.


billytea - May 05, 2008 7:34:52 pm PDT #422 of 26132
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

New topic: anyone else here seen WotC's online boardgame site? [link] I think it's still in beta (and currently free). The games they're offering that particularly interest me are RoboRally and Acquire.

Question for the group: are there any online boardgaming sites you use? If so, which? (I wouldn't mind getting a game going sometime, if anyone else is interested, though with the time difference it could be tricky.)


omnis_audis - May 05, 2008 9:21:09 pm PDT #423 of 26132
omnis, pursue. That's an order from a shy woman who can use M-16. - Shir

I'm interested. Also a bit of a night owl. It's about 23:00 here, which is about 16:00 in Canberra (not sure where in Oz you are). But I'm game if we find a site.


billytea - May 05, 2008 9:45:03 pm PDT #424 of 26132
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

I'm interested. Also a bit of a night owl. It's about 23:00 here, which is about 16:00 in Canberra (not sure where in Oz you are). But I'm game if we find a site.

I'm in Melbourne, which is the same timezone as Canberra. But if I'm working, I wouldn't be home, fed and ready for a game until at least 7:00, or 2:00 am your time. That'd be pushing it. Weekends, OTOH...


Volans - May 06, 2008 5:15:25 am PDT #425 of 26132
move out and draw fire

I didn't even know there were online board gaming apps (other than like Yahoo games, Facebook games, etc). Cool! Let's get some RoboRally going!

I notice they also have Guillotine, which is a constant favorite lunchtime game at my office. Something about work makes people want to decapitate French aristocracy, I guess.

ION, slashdot has a book rec that sounds neat: [link]

It's about the use of the second person, which is almost never done in lit-ra-choor, but overwhelmingly done in games (please to see thread title).

Section One, "Tabletop Systems," contains 15 essays devoted to a discussion of traditional, old-school RPGs, including standout bits penned by the likes of Greg Costikyan, George R. R. Martin, Erik Mona and Ken Hite. It's the most accessible part of the book, and without a doubt my favorite.


Jessica - May 06, 2008 6:06:55 am PDT #426 of 26132
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

Speaking of web games, I just noticed that Oregon Trail on Facebook is now Northwest Trail. Looks like somebody got C&D'd...


Fred Pete - May 06, 2008 6:45:01 am PDT #427 of 26132
Ann, that's a ferret.

I notice they also have Guillotine, which is a constant favorite lunchtime game at my office.

It sounds like a sequel to Down With the King, which I played many years ago. Imagine a card game based on Versaiiles during the reign of Louis XV, and you get the idea.