I honestly couldn’t think of a snappy title, which I wanted, for this (hopefully series of) post(s). So I fell back on the old reliable “ironically self depreciating” brand of “humour” so loved by ersatz comedians the world over. So what is this? Well after deciding to take forty days “off” from my biggest sources of online procrastination the amount of posts on my blog for 2015 showed something like a 500% increase. Clearly posting on social media platforms and various forums was working as a relief valve of sorts for whatever random thoughts flowed through me from the great beyond. (Apprently one of those thoughts was the incorrect idea I mastered how to queue stuff to post automatically, a day late and a doller short here we are) Continue reading…
Category: game/play
This is probably going to consist mostly of me whinging about whatever rpg’s Im currently running, playing in or planning to run. Though conceptually its meant to cover all aspects of gaming which I indulge in. So we’ll see how it goes.
Paper placebo’s
I, regularly, mock Sean about watching people play computer games rather than playing them himself. So it is with some chagrin that I reveal that over the last day or two I have watched a lot of YouTube videos of people playing boardgames. Of course the difference being that if I had the opportunity to play boardgames I would, so I feel my moral superiority over Sean is still intact. Which is the most important takeaway. Continue reading…
I hate your finger oils
I’d hate your dirty hands as well but obviously anyone reading this is too refined to have filthy mitts. I like boardgames. I can’t really afford to buy them these days but due to the fact I don’t get them to the table as often as I’d like I have a backlog that makes that a non-issue (and even though the industry is doing well new ones I’m interested in don’t really come out that fast). But there is a hidden price to boardgames. To quote the cinematic masterpiece that was Highlander III, “No Glove, No Love”. Not to overstate it but the vast majority of modern boardgames use cards. Cards which the filthies that play them pick up with the muck laden meat hooks they call hands. Which means that at the very least before playing a game, if not at the same moment as I buy it, I find myself required to buy card sleeves to protect these cards. I’d love to play these games enough for wear and tear to be a real issue or play games with more miniatures (but then you have to pain them and apply a protective coat to keep the paint safe, varnish – natures card sleeves). Continue reading…
Pillars of Eternity – Brief thoughts (Early AM ashcan edition)
Just finished it, all sidequests and whatnot wrapped up, played on hard, clocked in around forty five hours. Enjoyed my time with it but ultimately it feels like a good not great game. It’s early in the morning so this is a bit stream of consciousness (some of these I wrote as they occurred in play so some may be more strident due to that) There are less pros than cons. That’s because it’s generally easier to critique something than praise it. Don’t get me wrong. Pillars of Eternity is a good game. If you’re pining for an “old school” western computer RPG then spend your money freely secure in the knowledge you’re in for a good time. I enjoyed my time with it; after all I wouldn’t have put in nearly fifty hours (so far) if I didn’t. I’ll come back and tidy this up tomorrow when I’ve had some sleep. I dont think theres any real spoilers but youve been warned. Continue reading…
Best of 2014 – Videogames
2014 felt like a very long year in terms of gaming, yet I didn’t really get through a whole pile of games. Perhaps my memory is going. What a sweet release. Or perhaps it was just that my pattern of play as it were changed quite a bit this year. I covered my thoughts on last year’s spending on games over here. I suppose one final note on that point was that I hit the deal hunter thing hard. Making solid use of sites like http://isthereanydeal.com/, http://www.cheapshark.com/, http://www.reddit.com/r/GameDeals/, etc. as well as (the now sadly neutered) Steam trading sites like http://dispenser.tf/ and http://www.tf2outpost.com/ and importing I got as much gaming bang for my buck as I possibly could. Continue reading…
Return to the Dungeon (Part 01)
Sorry to disappoint my more salacious readers, but while I can bust out a turtle binding with the best of them this is about Dungeons and Dragons, not BDSM. Specifically it’s about my thoughts on Dungeon & Dragons 5th edition as I read through the core books. Dungeons and Dragons was the first role-playing game I owned or ran. After reading the original Dragonlance trilogy in first year of secondary school a number of classmates and I pooled our money to purchase the basic D&D boxed set (from Toymasters in Newry). Not knowing of course that the Dragonlance campaign used AD&D (how embarrassing I know). Also now that I think about those fuckers never paid for their share. Bastards. Continue reading…
Dr Gamelove or How I learned to stop worrying and love my backlog
Last year I decided that I needed to cut down on games (being newly unemployed was an unwelcome aid in that endeavour). I decided that I would buy at most one game a month, or a maximum of thirteen games over the year (the latter condition is not a result of the first; I am aware how many months are in a year). Also I would complete said game before buying another. I failed. Well I largely failed. I failed on the first part, “Buying at most one game a month”. I also failed on the second part, “I would complete it before I buy another”. However I actually succeeded on the implicit monetary issue, I ended up spending ~€65 a month, or the price of thirteen new games over the course of the year. But that’s a different story. Why did I try and institute this policy in the first place? While there certainly was an economic issue the real impetus was my backlog. Ah the backlog, the yoke chained to every gamers neck. The Sisyphean ordeal that is arguably intrinsic to the hobby in its modern form. But before I talk about my new relationship with the beast, and how I plan to vanquish it (snicker, snack), we need to describe the beast. Or in other words, what the fuck is a backlog? Continue reading…
Unemployment, life plans and Ave Imperator
It’s been a while since I mentioned Ave Imperator, or wrote a blog post for that matter. So to keep my readers (consisting primarily of my alternate personalities) happy (and because I’d a weird and clearly portentous dream about it) I’ve decided to post an update on this. Also I complain about stuff (so a usual blog post then) Continue reading…
Thoughts on DLC (and how DLC+Dynasty Warriors 8=head wrecked)
To be honest I dont know why this is irritating me as much as it is, but its like a constant mental itch that I just cant scratch. So writing this is me trying to scratch it. First a little background, I am generally a big fan of DLC. As long as its not transparently exploitative or bullshit “horse armour” rubbish then why wouldnt I want more content and options for a game I enjoy? So I will generlly buy DLC for games I enjoy. However these days I normally only play through a game once (there are some noteable exceptions like the Souls games) so if I know theres a lot of DLC coming I have two choices – play the game now and then try and get another play through when all the DLC is available or put off playing the game until all the DLC is out. Both of these approaches have their downfalls, which I have fallen prey to. Continue reading…
30 Days of (space black) Night – Week 04 – Knocking on Tannhausers Gate
Wherein the reader is illuminated and amused by details of my fourth (and possibly last *gasp*) week back with EVE Online, or told how I played too much Diablo 3 and ignored EVE. Continue reading…