Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Agreed; that's why I love them, and have so much fun with them. Have you seen the new Dark Fable 'Temple of Set' figures? The Missus has allowed that she likes them, and may commit my bonus money to them...

I think so. Didn't you have a link to them either here or on your blog? But feel free to post it again. They were cool. Assuming I'm remembering the right minis.

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

There's always next year.

Hope so, though we might not be in the same location then. I've been fortunate to have gotten several Greek Easter feasts over the last 6 years with two different sets of friends (one set in England and one here in Maryland, USA).

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Ssuganar is kind of flat as a destination, but Ssu... Whew!!! Scary!!!

Is "Ssuganar" the long form of "Ssu city"?

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Well, in 1987 or 1989, the Episcopal Church of the US (of which I am a member) resolved that in the next revision of the Book of Common Prayer the "filioque" would be removed. And the discussions for the next revision are beginning.

(I don't really disagree with the theology of the filioque, but the council that added it was not ecumenical in any meaningful sense.)

Separation in the Church is a wound in the body of Christ.

What do you know? Maybe there is hope for removing the separation some day.
And I do agree on it being harmful. Though, amusingly, it might have been helpful for our societies, too.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Poor Phil, may his soul be treated gently, had trouble with every publisher he ever worked with, it seems. I wonder if that was his academia background? Though I love studying history, every time I regret not pursuing it as a career I reflect on everything I've learned, from a LOT of people, about what a snake pit academia is.

Agreed on the snake pit, and on studying history.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I think we could keep it going all week - it's the comedy circuit for us!

The 'weirdest' on Tekumel? Probably the Ssu 'broadsword', as it's got edges all over the place. The 'weirdest' I've ever seen? The Sudanese throwing axe Phil had up on his dining room wall (southeast corner, on the plate rail). Yes, there was a handle, and a good thing, too; you would not have known where to pick the thing up, otherwise...

I have one word on this axe, Uncle...
Pictures?

I found this.
A_selection_of_African_throwing_knives_in_room_25_of_the_British_museum.JPG
Though that one is from the British Museum, so I doubt it would have the exact same replica.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

I keep hanging in there. The layout will arise, some day. I have to do something with all that stuff...

Agreed about Phil's troubles with his publishers. He was voted "Most Difficult Author in the Game Industry" by GAMA; Mike Stackpole ran the 'awards' ceremony, and I got to get up and give the acceptance speech. I still have the 'Ralphie' in the basement; they'd managed to get a heap of the Ralph Cramden figures from the TSR "Honeymooners" board game, and Stackpole used those as the 'trophy'.

Phil's basic problem with 'external' publishers was that they ran their businesses as businesses, and were in business to make money. Phil had lived and worked in academia for almost all his working life, and tended to think of 'publishers' as being like the in-house press shop that most universities had.

I kinda suspected that much.

Personally, I think Phil would have been delighted to have the modern version of the Internet to work with; he could have done anything he'd wanted to, put it up on his own website, and sold the PDFs or files with little or no overhead. Back in our day, the economic and production hurdles to get anything published - let alone marketed! - were why there never were any really economically viable Tekumel products. Aside from EPT itself, of course, but that was - by Brian Blume's own statement - the right product in the right place at the right time. The only other product that sold well (for the game industry, of course) was "Ebon Bindings", with about 1,000 of the four editions being sold over the decades.

It would have saved us so much issues!
Though it also might have precluded Tekumel ever getting as widespread as it did.

Miniatures were a very different story, but that was because of the very intense marketing effort and the very low barriers to having product. Back in the day, Phil had a very hard time getting his head around the notion that the lead was what was supporting his books, not the other way around.

To be honest, I don't understand it, either. It sounds to me like Star Wars miniatures netting more than the Star Wars movies.
I know how the books sold; but it doesn't make sense to me.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

I remember that thing. You can't MAKE stuff like that up. And against non-metal-armored targets it would have been very, very nasty.

How do you estimate it would fare against leather?

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Last time I spent a wad was when WoTC came out with the "Star Wars Spaceship Game" with some really nice, but expensive, miniatures.

I knew they were "collectible" miniatures (an idea I hate) but they were still nice Star Wars spaceships. So one day over at Chez Thornley four of us, all long-time miniatures gamers, sat down for a game.

Worst excuse for a rule set I ever saw. Range didn't matter, maneuver didn't matter, and there was only one ship in something like six sets I bought where facing mattered. The combat system was "Roll this number (usually 14 to 16) on a d20." Your ship had a bonus of +2 or +3, usually.

In other words, the entire game system was "Roll high numbers on a d20."

After about an hour I actually said, "Is it just my imagination, or does "tactics" in this game amount to "roll big numbers?" " My compatriots agreed unanimously.

Haven't bought any gaming stuff since.

OK, it's funny, but I've actually seen a couple miniature games like this. They're actually what got me to give up on miniatures.
But these are different games, because I've never seen Star Wars miniatures in the real world...

I'm afraid it's more widespread than you think.

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Today was wonderful, even though I drank too much wine and beer, ate too many kebobs, and had too much pecan pie (my all time favourite pie, right up there with apple pie), and scoffed one too many baclavas. It's only once a year that I eat too much, well actually twice if you include Christmas. She who must be feared was not impressed. Fortunately I'm not working tomorrow (rank doth have its privileges and all that rot) so I can finish off that last bottle of wine that is looking at me so mournfully as I type this reply. Ahh, one more dead soldier.

Shemek

Well...I calculated the family has eaten 5 Cozonacs in 20 hours, the lion share being on me, and there were something like 72 Easter eggs, but we're down to something like less than 20 remaining.
I'm going to need strict diet after Gergyovden (St. George's Day).

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Bren,

Never has a truer statement been said. Like the Glorious General, it was the "filth" in the Ivory Tower of Academics that kept me from making academia my career. Never in all my years have I met so many hypocritical, perfidious, snivelling, back-biting and down right nasty sods as when I was finishing my Masters. Even though I got accepted into a doctoral program I walked away from it. Some times I regret it, but then when I hear the stories some of my university professor friends tell me I feel vindicated.

Shemek

That's also what prevented me; I admit I'm sometimes wondering whether I wasn't wrong.
I might still go for a PhD, if I decide to move abroad.

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Ви благодарам. Навистина воскресна!

My response to the quote from Bren was exactly the same as yours

Shemek

Няма защо!
Not surprised about your reaction. It makes sense.

Originally Posted by Bren

35 hours of driving to Edmonton; 22.5 hours driving to Austin...Austin is closer. Not close. But closer.

I actually don't know your location, Bren. You can google it along with "boardgame cafe", and find one within the area.
Again, that was an example for everyone in the thread.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

And since most of the people in that part of the world didn't have armor - well, metal armor, although leather was unusual - it made sense. He had some really weird stuff, he did...

Don't you mean "wasn't unusual"?

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Well, take care of yourself, nobody else is going to. Glad it's been a good weekend for you. Keep drinking water; I think "enough sleep" and "enough water" are probably the two greatest health care shortages in US society today.

Probably true in all societies today...

Originally Posted by Bren

I like academics in the singular, but in departmental groups.... Now I'd like to say I left due to ethical concerns with the academic snakepit, but I didn't. Walking across campus while talking to myself (a thing I almost never, ever do) about some proof for abstract algebra or topology or some esoteric thing, I realized/admitted that I didn't particularly want to do research so getting a PhD was a poor career goal for me. Never have much regretted that decision.

Nice to hear from those who enjoyed Greek/Orthodox/Other date Easter. I was originally scheduled to join some friends, but they had to cancel. So I missed some really great Greek food and a day with fun friends and their fun family.

Well, glad you found out it doesn't make you happy.

And the food from our region is fun. I've lately adopted a Greek recipe which I called "Tonight, we eat Chthulhu"!

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Well, I'd have to look it up; if they were talking to me, it's something like 'Gospodin'; to my alter ego, it'd be 'Lord'. If Kathy was there, it'd be 'Ma'am'; Vrisa would be 'Highborn'. If Gronan was there, it'd be 'sir' maybe, and 'Glorious General' otherwise. We did this kind of thing all the time at Phil's; you knew instantly who you were talking to, with no pause in the flow of the game.

You'd be "gospodin" here as well, among non-gamers. It's how we translate "mister", or any other polite title for a male!
(Yes, it has a different meaning in Russian, but the same word means different things. Then again, there are more striking examples of words changing their meaning).

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

As as gamer, I loathe the idea of "collectible card games" like Magic the Gathering. The more cards I buy, the better the chance of getting a rare powerful card? Sod that.

As a marketer, I only wish I'd thought of it. A license to coin Khaitars.

Well, there are precedents in poker. After all, if I can raise enough that you can't cover my bet, you don't even get to use your cards, right?
CCGs are like this. If I've thrown enough money on the counter, you're just going to be splattered by all the cards I've got.
(Or you're going to destroy me with a cheap blue deck, in Magic. Fun fact: the blue cards make me thing of Ksarul, the Blue Room's Prince!)

Originally Posted by AsenRG

But these are different games, because I've never seen Star Wars miniatures in the real world...

You poor deprived man. ;-)

I actually don't know your location, Bren.

Maryland, USA. It says so beneath my avatar.

You can google it along with "boardgame cafe", and find one within the area.

There’s one called the Board and Brew that’s less than an hour away. I started to get excited, then I realized that “Brew” mean coffee. So sad now. So sad.

And the food from our region is fun. I've lately adopted a Greek recipe which I called "Tonight, we eat Chthulhu"!

Squid or octopus?

Originally Posted by Bren

You poor deprived man. ;-)

From Gronan's description, I don't feel like I missed anything.

Maryland, USA. It says so beneath my avatar.

It does, it's just easy to miss when you're on a phone.

There’s one called the Board and Brew that’s less than an hour away. I started to get excited, then I realized that “Brew” mean coffee. So sad now. So sad.

What do you think "cafe" means, if not "coffee"?

Anyway, they say they offer "gourmet cappuccino, homemade treats or our small plates menu. Whatever you're in the mood for, we have just the thing!"

Squid or octopus?

Octopus, you got that one right.

And here's an article that might be relevant.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...e-bars/382828/
And from me, drinking coffee and playing tabletp[op games obviously go well together. The most classical thing to play in a coffee shop is, of course, backgammon.

Originally Posted by AsenRG

From Gronan's description, I don't feel like I missed anything.

I read that as the game sucked. There are lots of nice Star Wars minis and figures. I have a moderate sized collection.

What do you think "cafe" means, if not "coffee"?

Brew in English could indicate beer or coffee. I'm don't drink coffee. But on checking further, they do serve beer. So I'm happy again. They even have twice weekly happy hours with specials on craft beers.

Octopus, you got that one right.

Is it easy to get fresh seafood in Sofia?

Originally Posted by Bren

Brew in English could indicate beer or coffee.

Or tea...

Shemek

Originally Posted by Shemek hiTankolel

Or tea...

Shemek

True. I had not considered that since coffee and beer drinking each dominate tea drinking here in the USA and I did not notice brewed tea highlighted on their web site.

Annual consumption
146 billion cups of coffee
50 billion pints of beer (note for metric users, 1 pint = 2 cups)
43 billion cups of tea (a lot of this tea will be iced, not hot and 19 billion of those cups are ready to drink tea which is not "fresh brewed")

Of course things probably are different in Pechano.

Originally Posted by Bren

True. I had not considered that since coffee and beer drinking each dominate tea drinking here in the USA and I did not notice brewed tea highlighted on their web site.

Annual consumption
146 billion cups of coffee
50 billion pints of beer (note for metric users, 1 pint = 2 cups)
43 billion cups of tea (a lot of this tea will be iced, not hot and 19 billion of those cups are ready to drink tea which is not "fresh brewed")

Of course things probably are different in Pechano.

when-in-doubt-brew-up-1.jpg.jpg

So, how many billion cups of Chumetl do you reckon they consume in Tsolyanu per annum?

Shemek?

Originally Posted by Bren

Of course things probably are different in Pechano.

Could be......