OoG during Pirates

Never heard of it, but i will check it out, thanks

I have finally posted Hawkes’ turn. Sorry about that. Gretchen had spinal fusion surgery and I have been mr. mom during Christmas shopping season...

How is she doing?

Second rec for "Bone Tomahawk". It's a perfect weird west adventure...if not a bit overly brutal.

healing and happy thoughts to Gretchen @ Alan

E6 of "mando" was one of the best yet. Reminded me of the Clone Wars content where they focused on bounty hunters and mercs.

S4 of Expanse was really good, considering this season covers (IMO) the weakest of the nooks. Amazon is doing it right and knowing what comes next I can't wait for S5!

anyone looking for a solid little scifi season may enjoy "NightFlyers" on Netflix.

Anyone else hitting their local "No one is above the law" rally tomorrow?
https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove/126284/signup/?source=&akid=&zip=&s=

I'll just quote what Sec. of War Stanton said to President Lincoln when he appointed General Rosecrans: (it's perfect for when this country elected the tangerine wank-maggot)

"Well, you made your choice of idiots. Now you can wait news of a terrible disaster."

This is how I've come to view the 2016 election. Hey America: you chose him, you can suffer for it.

Except mango boy lost the popular vote by 3 million votes. The electoral college needs to go away.

I wouldn't presume to disagree with you... but the Electoral College can only be removed by an amendment to the Cons. Good luck with that. lol (sarcastically)

While we're at it, let's amend the Constitution to negate Citizens United once and for all. End private donations to campaigns and only use a public fund that is equal for all parties involved.

@Rob, you running for office?

you get my vote!

Campaign finance is certainly broken. My worry with public funding is how to regulate who gets campaign funding. If 10,000 people declare a bid for election, who gets what funding? Who decides who gets funding? How do you get on the radar without some sort of special interest deciding that you are a good candidate to represent them?

Other countries that already restrict campaign finance have figured it out. I can't see that being a legitimate obstacle to moving forward.

other countries have had a parliamentary system for a long time. It's more flexible and responsive to it's electorate.

....and I going to go out on a limb and suggest that these other countries aren't quite as stupid as the US is (seemingly, on a regular basis)

Chris wrote:@Rob, you running for office?

you get my vote!  

Want to chair my campaign?  




Josh, I happen to agree with you about US stupidity. Compared to other countries, our education system is ranked 27th. But I feel that it is stupidity by design. There's no money for schools. We've got to spend billions in Afghanistan and other places, with no apparent benefit to anyone except the contractors and the politicians. And maybe the fossil fuel industry? Drug cartels? How deep does the rabbit hole go???

yeah...

now you know why my idealism is dead and I'm more of the opinion "ok, burn it all down you fuckers"

Sound off when you've seen "ROS" so we can discuss it openly without spoilers.

going in 3hrs 22m here with Jamie and the boys

I got a good review from trusted SW fans here, Scott and Aimee, for those who remember them.


spoiler free:


Wow! Dark, intense, pretty, a good touch of humor, and deeply satisfying. The first thing Scott said when we walked out was, “That ended exactly the way I wanted it to!” I can’t wait to see it again, I feel like there are many more Easter eggs to uncover. The scene from the very first trailer is even cooler than you think. Oh, and Chris? …Never under estimate a droid!

I think you guys are going to enjoy it. Let us know

May the force be with you!!

Chris wrote:going in 3hrs 22m here with Jamie and the boys

I got a good review from trusted SW fans here, Scott and Aimee, for those who remember them.


spoiler-free:


Wow! Dark, intense, pretty, a good touch of humor, and deeply satisfying. The first thing Scott said when we walked out was, “That ended exactly the way I wanted it to!” I can’t wait to see it again, I feel like there are many more Easter eggs to uncover. The scene from the very first trailer is even cooler than you think. Oh, and Chris? …Never under estimate a droid!

I think you guys are going to enjoy it. Let us know

May the force be with you!!

Saw it last night.

Happy Solstice brothers! Anyone else celebrating the "Festival of Lights" today? I'm marking our tribe's holiday by heading into the canyons to find a place of power for a ceremonial fire tonight. I am at an impasse in life right now, so I will seek the flow we used to follow on those Luminari nights. and go into the wilderness to seek guidance as did the warriors of old,

I wish you all clarity, insight, and growth as we begin our trek back towards the light. It's been an honor to share life's journey with you all and I look forward to further travel in your company. Be well, my brothers.

don't forget the mushrooms! LOL

Re: RoS, thanks for being spoiler free! I plan to see it eventually, maybe online, but still on the fence about paying ticket price. For those who've gone to the theater, was it thumbs up or down?

I found that it had that familiar SW feel of the original trilogy. It was definitely darker, about LotR level, which was just a tad uncomfortable for my boys, but not really scary. The comedy was on par with 7.

It is a worthy addition to the series and a fitting end to the saga. I want to see it again to judge its worthiness as a stand- alone film. I think it does have the re-watchability factor in terms of visuals and action.

There was a lot done for the fans, which i can appreciate. I hope that we see more original content, like Mando quality, on the big screens of the future.

Its definitely a good big-screen popcorn flick.

@bear
May you experience some small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find.

Gentlemen,

I need to step away from the forum for a bit. I’m confident y’all will handle what ever squishy tentacley meanies Joe conjures up for you in my absence. The irony of Crispy’s character build vs. what I’m about to tell you has just occurred to me...

Caleb and I are safe, sound, and unharmed, but my condo and car were lost to a catastrophic fire Friday night. I can now add climbing out of a third story window in a burning building to my list of “never-fucking-doing that-again” accomplishments. My best to you all and your families and I’ll be back here as soon as things settle down a bit in the real world.

More to the story here:

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/suspect-arrested-on-attempted-murder-charge-in-jefferson-county-apartment-fire

I was holding off saying anything till folks checked in, but I went in with low expectations and was still disappointed. I think its everything that is broken about contemporary HollyWood, its boring, contrived, insincere, and barely incorporates the rest of mythology without any effort besides hand waving. Must admit, TLJ left them with a nearly unfinishable story to work with, but It comes off as poorly written fanfic. It's like the "Twilight" of Star Wars. I'm a guy who finishes books, movies, and such that I don't really like just to get to the end, and I was so un-entertained I nearly left. The Disney trilogy is overall garbage and adds -zero value to the SW, universe /Skywalker saga, in fact I'd say it rendered the original 6 movies pointless.. Won't get into specific details until others have seen it.

On the other hand, S4 of "The Expanse" was on point, rbrn brttrt now that Amazon is producing it, its the best space sci-fi in decades. Netflix's "The Witcher" is a darker high fantasy with a heavy Robert E Howard (Conan the Barbarian, Soloman Kane) feel, I'm really enjoying it. New season of "Lost In Space" coming soon, if you missed S1, I highly recommend it. I found it to be a solid homage to early sci-fi tv with modern production values, it's a good family adventure.

@ Chris, thanks brother. I had a really good ceremony, and I am planning more. I think ceremony is going to become a much bigger part of my spiritual practice.

@ Rob, down the road that's the intent. I feel I need to build some structure/focus and will back up before I make that journey.

@ Mike, see my text but thankful you and the boy escaped unharmed

Whoah, Mike, glad you made it out safely!

Matt and Chris thanks for the spoiler-free reviews of RoS. Think I may hold off until it comes to Netflix or whatever. I skipped Solo until it streamed and I don't feel I missed anything for waiting to see it on small screen.

I agree The Expanse is a great show, but the newest season was a little on the boring side. Sets up for some big things in Season 5, I think.

Lost in Space reboot is decent. Have to see how the new season goes.

Started watching The Witcher now. It's got lots of atmosphere and some dark humor.

Robyo wrote:Whoah, Mike, glad you made it out safely!

Matt and Chris thanks for the spoiler-free reviews of RoS. Think I may hold off until it comes to Netflix or whatever. I skipped Solo until it streamed and I don't feel I missed anything for waiting to see it on small screen.

I agree The Expanse is a great show, but the newest season was a little on the boring side. Sets up for some big things in Season 5, I think.

Lost in Space reboot is decent. Have to see how the new season goes.

Started watching The Witcher now. It's got lots of atmosphere and some dark humor.

Yeah, this season of th Expanse covers the slowest book, one where a lot things are changing in the setting, so I agree that its a little short on Action - but there is still a lot of important stuff going, as you said it is building up to the next book/season where everything goes batshit. Still the best "space" scifi anywhere right now.

OMG !
I am so glad to hear you guys are ok. Was that you quoted in the story about lowering Caleb down?

I understand why you dont want to repeat that, but also add that to the list of "crazy shit that I survived".

as I said when we talked Mike, anything you need...

I saw the same thing Chris. That was Mike alright (according to what he told me)

I know the game has recently been moving slowly for various reasons, but I wouldn't be against pausing it for a bit while Josh is in IL and Mike has more important things to focus on. Your call, party.

I am fine with a pause until 2020

actually, I'm not going this week after all. Fucked my back up and just couldn't sit through the delays at the airport. I'm probably just postponing but can run Sam this week if need be.

Can we please avoid posting anything more about SW until some of us have seen it?  Please?

I’m easy, but let’s set a date to check in and get an email reminder in play.

No worries on pausing.

I am looking at starting an alt game/one -shot soon to run parallel anyway if anyone is interested. Scored the 5e based sci-fi ruleset "Esper Genesis" recently and would really like to do some non-fantasy/non Star Wars"space stuff. Core manual is in the google drive 5e folder (no links to that here, Ill message it to you if you need it). Mechanically, it is 5e, so there isn't really much to learn. You'll see that it does include more fantastical elements, but I'm not looking to use them off the bat....have another space fantasy campaign idea in mind for down the road.

I do not intend to use battle maps on the forum in the future, opting for narrative/theatre of the mind instead. I am curious if this might help some with the traditionally slower pace of forum gaming.

- -

If someone is able to take a few turns for Mike, we can continue on with an understanding that it might be a slow response week for some folks. Again, I'm fine either way.

Thoughts from Rob and Matt?

Josef909 wrote:If someone is able to take a few turns for Mike, we can continue on with an understanding that it might be a slow response week for some folks.  Again, I'm fine either way.

Thoughts from Rob and Matt?

I'm cool with playing on, too, either is fine. Happy to cover Crispy if needed. I'm betting it won't get too far in the next few weeks with (most) everyone busy anyway, but trickling through works for me.

Its completely, sincerely ok if you want the week off as DM Joe, don't hesitate to state so, take the time and enjoy.

I'm cool with continuing.

When we are old men, we'll be able to game like this...

I thought RoS was the best of the "sequels," even though it has overly rushed pacing issue. They crammed so much into that film they could have easily made another trilogy.

going to see it this weekend Rob. Most people I've talked to have like it. I'm more optimistic now

Mandalorian theme meets metal. Beskar Metal! This is the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glSkVC4agWA

nice find!

But it does happen to confirm my belief that metal is better with vocals (though there are good exceptions to this)

I found a youtube that teaches the Mandalorian theme for classical guitar (finger style or Spanish, if you prefer). I am working on learning that version.

@Matt

that is a really cool video!

I can see the full immersion gaming experience, but I would even be happy just with a virtual table. I think about the Jedi Council scenes, where half the masters were present via hologram. We could sit around a table together, the GM could use a real map with models and we could game together.

Yeah, I'm with Chris. A 'virtual table' is something that my group in Charleston was discussing years ago. We all liked the idea... not surprisingly.

It would make combat and what not soooo much easier to do

Chris wrote:@Matt

that is a really cool video!  

I can see the full immersion gaming experience, but I would even be happy just with a virtual table.  I think about the Jedi Council scenes, where half the masters were present via hologram.  We could sit around a table together, the GM could use a real map with models and we could game together.  

Sweet Mando jam! I get the Mando theme stuck in my head for days at a time. Its gonna become as iconic as Vader's march.

The tech capability you guys are "dreaming about" is already commonly available. Plenty of virtual tabletop programs that work with AR/VR in addition to your tv/monitor/projector. People have been building dedicated digital gaming tables for years. It's already here.

In addition to the well-known Roll20 and Fantasy grounds =
www.3dvtt.com
https://www.skirmish-vt.com/
Astral Tabletop
Foundry Tabletop

Digital tables are basically Smart TVS laid flat and built into a frame or the entire table, connected to the computers/network being used. Lots of folks doing that or projecting onto the table surface. That's all cool stuff, don't get me wrong. It's interesting enough to me that I've been working on a projector/monitor based immersive gaming system for "around the table" play doe the last few years! Done quite a bit of kibitzing on it with Rob), but at this point, it is looking backward. By the time it gets "perfected" the alternatives will blow it out of the water.

Me, I 'm excited about full immersion experiences: I want to stand on a hilltop with you guys issuing orders to our men as they hold the ridge against a troll assault, I want to see Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion and watch C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate from the bridge of the starship we are crewing, and I want to explore Middle Earth or Dungeon crawl Undermountain in FPV.

The non-gaming possibilities for this hologram tech are staggering, too! Exciting stuff.

I know it's been available for a while but it's a bit much to spend that on gaming (unless it was like a group buy-in or something)

Full immersion gaming.... hard pass. I've seen the "new" VR stuff and I still yawn at it. I know, that's just me

I know the virtual tabletop programs exist for just the gaming aspect, but that is missing the holograms "sitting around the table" part

We play with my brother Jon from FL using just Discord video chat. He can see the board and 2-3 people, we can see him and everyone can see the map. It works well for 1 person to play remotely, but it doesn't work as well for multiple remote players.

What you are describing sounds more like an MMO-RPG + virtual goggles. That could be cool too, but is very different than casual pen\paper style gaming that is half social and half gaming. I have played lots of MMOs with headsets and 5-20-100 people in chat rooms doing castle sieges or large scale field battles. It is fun, for sure, but it is still playing a video game, which is just a different speed and feel from roleplaying games, imo.


don't worry, Matt, the porn industry will lead the way for "full immersion"

lol.. you hit the nail on the head there Chris. The porn industry will probably have this figured out first.

@Matt

Looks similar to Divinity series
Free until 01/01

https://www.gog.com/game/tower_of_time