Champiions Onlin is kinda bad (notice the misspelling incase my breaking NDA reigns down terror on our site! Now if they search it won't come up.) It's another super hero MMO using the Champions HERO system rules, lol. Cool. I THINK this was the one that was supposed to be MArvel Universe Online and then Marvel yanked the license, or maybe not. It's sorta City of Heroes-ish but much closer to WoW. But it's just another MMORPG at the end of the day and that's kind of a drag.

How's that Blood Bowl? I'm hearing good things from the thread over on SA. It sounds like the interface needs some work but it's pretty legit and if you don't know the rules (this is a more recent version of the rules compared to FUMBBL apparently) you're gonna be F-ed. But it sounds like regular 'ol BB so I'm excited. Say it ain't horrible Elruck!

EDIT: Here's a quote that gives me hope for the game:
Kelp Plankton posted:
"Is the videogame really close enough to the boardgame that the same strategies and rules and everything apply in turn-based mode?"

"It's the actual game. Period. All the rules, all the skills, all the tricks. As someone who has played Blood Bowl for close to two decades now (good god, I'm old), I can't think of a single complaint as far as rules implementation goes."

Played a bunch of this new DS game called The Dark Spire. It's very fun. It's sort of a Wizardy-clone/throwback. You can switch between "modern" graphics/music or "classic" which is rad wire-frame and 8-bit tunes. It's super hard and there's no info, you have to trial and error to figure out gear, but it's also really charming and pretty fun. Check it out if you like hard-ass old school rpgs.

I just got into the Champions beta today but no BB yet - gonna check my junk mail folders though.

Booooo! Didn't get asked to the beta dance. Getting junior high flashbacks... Does the NDA include pantomime?

| BB Beta

For what it's worth, I'm in the BB Beta! I have d/led and installed the game at work, which may have been a mistake as I am not sure I can install it again at home, and I am also bound by the NDA to not talk about it, but hopefully some other AT member got in and we can play and talk about it offline!

Check yer emailz!

They also said this is not the last round of beta testing, so if you didn't get in this time, don't fret there will be further rounds upcoming!

| Space Bulk

eLzar, I miss playing Space Bulk. I have played that map twice before and had my ass handed to me on a platter. I know once was at the hands of Sir Johnny Khan Late. We should definitely throw down a few games at Boobla Cunvhenshun Thyme.

jr0n and I had a chance to play test the new WarMachine rules last night with a few of the non-actionteam gamers. I have to say that, although our experience was limited in scope, the rules seem to be a welcome overhaul of the system and really brings the "machine" back into WarMachine. The balance seems to be thrown back towards the jacks and away from troop based faction lists. More on this when we have time to expand our play testing.

Taxes do not rule. Uncle Sam delivered unto me a knuckle sammich to my cranial cavity on Monday. I am free for another 364 days...

D>M>

| Space Hulk

Sheesh.

Playing a little Space Hulk a la Teardown, and I am playing probably the hardest mission ever (Mission 3 from the basic set) and I thought I was doing pretty good this time. I had control of the randomly placed CAT, I had some nice *somewhat* tight overwatch perimeter firelanes, and though I actually had a chance!

Well, in ONE TURN, I lost 5 marines!!! I lost every marine that was covering the Genestealer entry points, as well as the marine holding the stupid CAT robot. Each dead marine had 4 shots at their advancing geanstealer, and not one of them jammed, but they missed every shot. It was SOOOOO disheartening! I don't think I will EVER beat this freaking mission!

(FYI the squads start split 5/5. 5 on the right of the map, and 5 at the bottom left. The marines on the right are then split 2/3 and need to recover the CAT from an unknown location on the board, and exit out the lower left.)

I have included a fine screenshot of the evidence...

Ok, I will pre-reg tonight! Thanks for ruining everything, everyone!

Amazon.com is now selling some xbla games discounted which is pretty cool (you buy a code to input.)

Doom for $2.97
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001LRQ8NO/

Pac Man Championship Edition for $4.97
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001LRQ956/

I'm no Doom lover, but that Pac Man version is SO much fun (and I think it's like $10 bucks if you buy it on your xbox.)

| Boobla Con

Looks like the discount method will not work. DaveDefeat, Ian and Pump have all preregistered. So, I encourage the rest of you monkeys to get get your pre-reg @ $40.00 before April 15. Otherwise, the price goes up again on the 15th. Do it!

D>M>

I've been in work enviroments like that as well Jon, pretty sucky! Hang in there and hopefully things will improve OR you can find a new gig (job).

Wow, being a parent must be tough, good luck Art and your wife! Cool that it's a boy this time, I've always sorta wanted a son for meta-reasons. ???

SO can we reg for the new con or what? I don't wanna end up spending even MORE cuz dennis doesn't care about the boys and just regs left and right. I can't wait for this con by the way, I am very excited! :)

Signed up for the BB beta and then also the Quake thing. You know, the Quake thing works pretty well - neat that it just GOES but it's still QUAKE which I guess I don't totally love. But I think it'll be a decent diversion.

Rented: Chronicles of Riddick Dark Athena for the 360. It's great! Great-ish. You know, I'd never played Butcher Bay so it's cool to try it - really fun, shiving dudes is cool. Haven't tried the "new" game in it yet, but I'll play them in order.

| I have a truck, fuck you

I feel you on the work environment, Jon. Those of us still left have the foxhole/gallows mentality. "Dibs on your shit" has become both an inside joke and a sad truthism.

Just in case I was a total douchebag and didn't post this before (I'm really losing my mind with these 12-16 hour days.. life is a total blur).. Bennett was born the day before my birthday, 3/21/09 and has been keeping Michelle and I up at all hours of the night. It's kind of funny, you think you remember what it was like and I suppose on some level it's easier the second time around.. but it really is RELENTLESS the non-stop feeding, diapers, feeding, diapers. And here I am bitching and I'm not even the food-producing parent. Three weeks into this, he's finally starting to sleep in longer chunks at night, so that's good.

Anyhow, off to work I go. Weeee....

| Blut Bowl

Aeryk, are you getting this for the 360 or PC? If the 360 I will definitely play online, it looks like a blast. Not if you're going to pull a left 4 dead and never play though. ;_;

Nothing really going on in my life except that my Dilbertish boss sucks so bad, people are quitting left and right with no backup plans. That's pretty remarkable in today's environment. Definitely a cascading problem as the more people I like leave, the worse the atmosphere gets. The only upside is watching this one guy, who for years has been apathetic at best as he was trying to get laid off with the accompanying sweet package, now suddenly fear for his career as he is facing actually being fired. He has to go through something called a "Personal Improvement Plan." Dilbertish boss vs. lazy guy is the only thing keeping me going.

I've also started listening to nothing but country music on "The Wolf" lately when I'm in the car, it's kind of a strange change for me. I genuinely enjoy it. I now know that the key to writing a successful country song is to just pick the theme of either "having a daughter is great, it's truly ironic when she grows up and has kids herself," "it's best to be simple," or "I have a truck, fuck you."

| Also, This Went Live Today

Blood Bowl Homepage

Get on it quick! Sign up for the multi-player and online beta! You know I did!

| Quake Live

Is awesome. Is free. Is Quake in your browser. Do it from work!

I talked to Peter and he hasn't registered yet. So if you are still trying to do the group registration, he is in. Let me know so that I can tell him.

Also, i've been seeing talk of a re-issue of Space Hulk. Hmmm. Anyone hear any specific details?

| MCHSHL

Heh. Since no one owned up and decided to join the league, I haven't looked at this one all season, check out my win/loss record! :)

All that I know is that I knocked off the first place team (apparently) in the first "round"... go underdogs!

And I just moved some players around for tomorrow and Sundays game for the first time this season, you are TOTALLY screwed now!