Forum: Public Forum

• eyes Lau*

Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, is the finest game ever produced by any gaming company. Ever. :P

It got me into DnD, so you have that to thank it for at least. *laughs*

Stupid double post. Won't let me delete it . . . *mutter mutter*

"Baldur's Gate", "BG: Tales of the Sword Coast", "Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn" and "BG2: Throne of Bhaal" are indeed classics, but the real hard-core gamer played "Icewind Dale" (BG engine) and "Icewind Dale II" (BG2 engine, tweaked for D&D 3rd Edition).

IWD was more "core" as it allowed six generated PCs, though most of the BG/BG2 NPCs were great.
Same for IWD2, which came slightly after "Neverwinter Nights"; there is no denying that the old-school 2D gaming experience on proper artwork still has its appeal.

BG then IWD got me to buy a 3rd Edition PH, then after realising it was not the same ruleset, I decided to look for the RPG society UMIST and started playing D&D with non-silicium based lifeforms.

That being said, welcome to Tony.

Laurent,

I could delete that post for you Josh, but I think I'll let it be, just to annoy you.

Now what is all this nonsense about playing D&D on a computer? I love D&D, but computer games are ... Meh!

Proper computer games, like Space - War were originally exercises in mathematically modelling gravity using the cathode ray tube displays that computers were starting to have attached to them. (Thus making the ASCII 0D (that's 013 for you decimal creatures and 10011 in old money) CR no longer return the carriage.) Of course, Atari eventually got hold of it, and the rest is history.

Having passed my NCR programmer's aptitude test at the tender age of 15 with what was then a record score, I suppose I was one of the first of what were later called wizz-kids. When people ask what D&D games did I play at school, I have to say I didn't. Not that I wouldn't have, but it was not invented till I was somewhere in Africa, up a gomo, looking for Robert Mugabe in order to shoot him.

Len

Yet to try Icewind Dale 1 & 2- I'll give them a spin when I finish with BG2. Thanks for the recommendation, Laurent.

Thanks also to Len for steering me away from a flower-based faux pas on my first big meet. I'll try and get along this Saturday to meet you all and hopefully arrange a little "buttkicking for goodness".

Tony,

IWD and IWD II are pretty ancient games by now, but I guess they could still be found under some budget labels or second hand somewhere. I strongly recommend The Sorcerer's Place for all sorts of unofficial patches, and non-cheating tweaks (extra in-game merchants, goodies from collector editions, etc).

That being said, "ancient" games are usually great games. To me the late 1990s were the golden age of computer gaming: the graphics were beginning to be good enough to look realistic, but not so much that they made "the game" just by themselves, i.e. the game designers still needed compelling stories (RPG games) or original game mechanics to capture the attention of gamers.

The Baldur Gates games, such as Planescape Torment and the Icewind Dale (expansions and sequel) definitely fall into that category. The Temple of Elemental Evil is a classic too, but it needs all the official patches and a lot of user patches to make it properly playable.

Anyway, I do not really have the time to play on my PC anymore, so all this talk has become moot.

Laurent,

Hello Guys and Gals,

Thought I'd stick an intro up so here it is.

I'm Craig, I'm a 24 year old civil servant and father of two (jeez I'm easy to sum up ) not really done any roleplaying but like the idea of it and would like to get involved. I'm living in Derby at the moment and looking for a way to maybe get involved in some groups that play locally. I am a complete newbie unfortunately though with the odd computer game being my only minor grasps on the concepts. I pick things up quickly so It shouldn't be too much of an issue if someone is willing to teach or at least point me in the right direction.

I also started playing warhammer about a year ago and am getting quite into that aswell although most fantasy themes seem to spark some deep interest in me.

Thats about all I can think of for the moment so Hi all. What do I do now

P.S. Sorry for the PM as soon as I joined Laurent I couldn't post at the time and didn't thought I was just being simple. All is now clear.

Welcome Craig.
You'll find us perfectly noob-friendly. I got to authorising you as soon as I could, but I have to work while at work a lot of the time, (If you know what I mean.) and got to you as soon as I could.

We don't like having to work it that way either, but we learned our lesson that not all grown ups are adult. So we had to make it possible to reduce people to a lower authorisation, and that means starting off at a level that is unable to cause trouble, but we raise member's authority at the first possible opportunity, as you found.

In theory Laurent could have put you in the full members group, but by that time, it was already done. (Also he's French, and might have been busy swilling wine and eating horses or something. )

We meet in the Brunswick on the second Saturday every month, so that would be the perfect time to meet folks. Its often far easier to get into a game after you have met a few folks, as people often feel more comfortable playing with folks they know, or at least have met before. Its like they need to find out, not that you are an axe-murderer, so much as you wield your Dwarven War-Axe well, and remember to wipe the blood off at the end of the encounter.

Len

Hi Craig,

Welcome to the madhoouse group.

Hope to see you at a meet soon.

Bruce

Cheers for the welcome guys, No worries about getting into the right group I assumed it might be something like that so wasn't too bothered I was just "working" aswell so sent a message while I was "extremely busy".

My axe skills are a bit rusty but the axe isn't luckily as I always remember to wipe clean

Trust me to pick out the frenchman

Should be there for April pending any sorcerous interferance in the mean time so I'll see some of you then.

Craig

Craig,

Welcome to the group and as the previous two messages have stated, the best way to go through the gruelling initiation as a full member is to attend the monthly Big Meet. Note that I am not at liberty to reveal the exact rites that new members are subjected to, what with all those nanny-state interdicts about bullying nowadays...

However it can be imparted to you that these rites may include:

• Ch' Ch' or Ch' Ch' Ch'.
• Consumption of beverages (alcoholic or not).
• Activities involving the use of regular tetrahedrons, square dipyramid octahedrons, pentagonal trapezohedrons, dodecahedrons and icosahedrons complementing the regular and quite boring hexahedrons of the cube type.

Our less educated members refer to these respectively as D4, D8, D10, D12, D20 and D6.

Jingoism at EMRPGG

They hate me, I run games, so they need me.

Defence of the Realm

Len, I would like you to know that on Friday I was busy reporting on my research to a sort-of-used-to-be British defence globocorp in Farnborough; whereby I am indirectly contributing to the increase effectiveness of the material components of British and American "warfighters" and "warmachines". And yes, this is what they are called nowadays, I am not making this up.
So "In your face!" and "Hon hon hee hon!" with regards to your snide remarks!

Laurent,

Why can't you just call a Platonic solid a Platonic solid and have done with it Laurent.

If you French purists had your way I'm sure we would all be forced to use Icosahedral 2x10 dice that are easily mistaken for D20s instead of the nice Trapezohedron D10 exceptions to the Platonic Solids.

Chilli, Chips & Cheese, washed down with Father Mike's FTW
(Next you'll be telling us you were organising a no-fly-zone with your aircraft carrier. Yes, rub it in. We don't have one. In know, I know.)

Len

Well "we" could have an aircraft carrier. The MOD is inviting bids for the Ark Royal at the moment.

Granted it would be difficult to get it somewhere "useful" for us (to visit and role play on).. but that isn't any different to how it is now!

Imagine the size of D20 you could roll on that flight deck! And you could get a pretty big battlemat on it too. All we need is a few hundred million quid I guess. How much can you put in Nick?

Len

I would not worry too much about EMRPGG rolling dice on the deck of HMS Ark Royal any time soon. She is currently "awaiting disposal", she can stay like this until HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales come into service in, respectively, 2020 and 2023. HMS Ark Royal is technically decomissioned, but not yet sold or cut down to pieces. If the Argy-Bargies try to get to the Falklands again...

As for the Royal Navy not having an aircraft carrier, this is plain wrong: HMS Illustrious is still floating and sailing. Sailing is something the French aircraft carrier CDG does not do much when not close to Toulon. Libya is an excellent theatre of operation for the CDG, if its engines fail, or if she loses one of her propellers, she can be towed back across the Mediterranean.

The defence cuts in the latest two budgets have been here to make us swallow various pills. Assuming growth coming back strongly this year and the next, the Royal Navy should get its toys back pretty quickly. Right now HMS Prince of Wales is due to be mothballed/"state of extended readiness", or worse sold (potentially to India) as soon as it is out of the production line. Same thing for the F-35B joint strike fighters that are supposed to be landing on them.
If it was down to me, I would cut funding to the arts, schools, hospitals, unemployment benefits, send five year olds up chimneys like in the good old days and fund a dozen fully equipped aircraft carriers...

In passing, I would not be surprised that our recent "humanitarian" endeavour in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (yes I know, one needs to be a long lived Roman to use these words ) will change the Government's attitude towards defence funding.

Anyway, back to the point of the Welcome thread:

Craig, you should head to the April Big Meet thread. This month we have two games and no registered players yet. One could be switched to the Evening session if need be.

Laurent,

' If the Argy-Bargies try to get to the Falklands again... '

If they try that again we might as well let them have the islands, sheep and all! Never mind an aircraft carrier, we don't even have Harriers any more and I doubt the lottery funding and charitable donations would get the mighty Tin Triangle as far as Port Stanley again (not that it did much damage last time anyway!)

Back on topic (kind of) I've wondered about a game roleplaying the crew of a cold war era nuclear bomber on a potentially one way mission. A bit bleak maybe but there would be pleanty of oppurtunity for dark humour (Dr Strangelove anyone?

And yes, Craig, if you're still with us sign up for a game in April, we don't bite!

Bruce

It's all part of the big society. If you want to invade somewhere, or resist an invasion somewhere, or stop a civil war, or prevent a massacre, it's no good waiting for the nanny state to do everything for you. These days there's no role for the state in defence, peacekeeping, or armed conflict. So why not volunteer... your country (or someone else's country) needs you....

From George Orwell and the International Brigades in Spain to Mark Thatcher in Equatorial Guinea, there's a great (and not so great) British tradition of this kind of thing....

Adam,

Contrary to what you are implying, the Government is currently using the regular armed forces in Libya to project British influence and enforce a "humanitarian and cuddly-cuddly" UN resolution.

What about 1998? When the Royal Navy having had to disgrace itself by providing help to the "Sandline International" mercenaries in Sierra Leone (helicopter rides), what about the "ethical foreign policy" of the late Robin Cook breaking the UN embargo on arms sale to the warring parties of Sierra Leone? The fact that Mark Thatcher used his name for some shady private business has scant relevance to the Big Society or our intervention in Libya.
Sure, intervening in Sierra Leone was the right thing to do at the time, but the operations should have been performed by the regular armed forces.

As for "my country", it got incorporated into France in 1766, which explains the nationality on my passport. I have been paying my taxes in Britain for quite a while and barring a couple of months of employment as industrial placements, never really did so on the Continent. I also trust Britain with providing for my own security and for an acceptable social environment. One of the last civilised countries on Earth I would die for would indeed be France, if forcibly conscripted, I would desert at the first occasion... something I would need to be quick to do considering the reputation of the French army in battle.

Anyway, I am getting all riled up just because of Nick wanting to roll an icosahedron on the deck of HMS Ark Royal. I shall get my medication and stop now.

Laurent,

If we "got" the Ark Royal we could always re-fit so we could have our own "Nightmare" set (as in the clasic CITV show of the late 80's and early 90's).

Now that would be an interesting big meet after a few pints of The Usual (or Fr Mikes if you must).

I will point out the "we" I was refering to earler (if it was missed) was "us" as in this very group... rather than the English "we". (Not being English myself, but from the land on the other side of the River Severn).

Though it is pleasing to see I am still able to de rail a forum thread... can you tell I play RPG's?

We don't like railroading on the forums any more than we like it in our games. So its not hard to de-rail a thread on our forum. There are no rails as such, more like bumpers to stop us actually falling off.

Lets get it back on topic though by welcoming our newest member, who goes by the name of Madaxemat (Presumably Matthew).

Len