Twilight Imperium 3rd edition was released this year, updating a Fantasy Flight Games classic to adapt some more modern ideas in board gaming. I own the second edition, and played it twice, but it hasn’t really left the shelf in many years, due to time and complexity involved. I have now played the 3rd edition […]
Archives for 2005
Big Blizzard is Watching
Those who play World of Warcraft probably know about the little service it runs called The Warden. The Warden is a program that runs statistical analysis on a player’s system to make sure that no cheating programs are being used. What Blizzard failed to mention, of course, was that the program also does some pretty […]
Teamwork (An Umberhulk Riding a Bullette)
(Edit from the future: this post references an old theme we used, and is entirely based upon a header we had that featured editted images of Umberhulks riding Bullettes…those were the days. ~Bart) At this point I feel it is necessary to provide an explanation of one of our title blocks for the site. Many […]
Virus Music – Sony Gets Down With the Sickness
So. Sony has gone to using rootkits as a method of providing Digital Restrictions Management. For those who aren’t aware, here’s a quick rundown on what a rootkit and what DRM is: A root kit is a set of tools used by an intruder after cracking a computer system. These tools can help the attacker […]
How to host a LAN
An alternative title would be – some things to keep in mind when you host a LAN. I’ll be publishing this whole article over the course of several weeks as it is rather long. Here is the first part!
Recently I have had a couple friends ask me about LAN parties. Apparently, I am a man of experience when it comes to gathering nerds together and getting them to play computer games. I have attended and hosted LAN parties, all relatively minor affairs. I have yet to experience anything like QuakeCON and the halls full of gamers all screaming things about gay hackers, pwning, leetness, and all other sorts of lingo or excuses. So, in this particular article, I will be dealing with how to organize a smallish LAN party. I’ll be looking at space issues, power issues, skill level disparity, technical organization, games to choose, gameblocking and several other things I think up while I type this. Always keep in mind your main goal: Everyone having fun!
Now, each of these issues here may not be a problem at your larger LAN parties, but due to the fact that we are working with a small group of people, having even one person left out can cause problems. At the end I will attempt to provide a cohesive checklist of items to consider.
Casshern
I have just seen one of the most astounding things. Based on an old anime series, Casshern is a lengthy epic with all the trappings of classic anime stylings captured in a steampunk reality.
Into the Abyss
I like to think that I’m a pretty mentally with it. I mean, I might freak out if I saw Cthulhu or something, but it still takes a lot to actually shake me. I can look at those terrible medical photos on Snopes and not bat an eye. Horrific visions of apocalyptic scenes don’t faze […]
More D&D to replace what is missing in our lives
Wizards of the Coast has started selling bumper stickers. Most of them are pretty uninspired, though “Don’t make me roll for initiative” is pretty good. It’s still not enough to topple classics such as “Carpe DM: Seize the Dungeon Master” and “Jesus Saves (and takes half damage)” I do like that Wizards is expanding to […]
Shadow of the Colossus
Last week I ran out to Best Buy and picked up Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2. Many of you have already heard my rantings about this game, but it is from the developers of one of my favorite PS2 games from long ago called Ico. Both of these games are made with absolutely […]
Realworld of Warcraft
I’m sure it seemed to make perfect sense at first, but in practice the idea turned out to bring nothing but the apocalypse. In the development of every Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game people must have thought about it thoroughly. I mean, after all, it IS a game of playing roles. So how could such […]
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