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...fine it was only three weeks, but Emma coming back to Bath - if only for a day - felt precisely like that. She's back again next Friday so waiting shouldn't be quite as hard work.
By Friday, in ever increasing boredom as I waited on various things (Emma's return, internet being connected, DarkStar One release), more old games were coming out than I cared to consider: Enemy Nations, Imperium Galactica II, Gothic, Krypton Egg, and I was on the point of re-installing Diggers before I realised it was late enough to be going to bed. Of all the ones revisited, only Enemy Nations and Gothic may get a further look in once DS1 and EQ2 are here and normal service is resumed. For an RTS game, I like the way that Enemy Nations forces you to create at least a rudimentary civilian economy (Civilisation style) before geeking the other people trying to get on with their lives in the same way. It's slightly limited in that there is no real plot, just a backstory, but no-one was expecting even that much when it came out. Gothic, I bought when trying out alternatives to EQ back when I thought there must be other games as good. I lost patience with it almost entirely, the controls being harder than the Fisher-Price coloured buttons of EQ, but now I'm able to look at it again in the light of experience, there's a lot more to it than I previously thought. If only German game producers could hire decent vocal talent to do their english voiceovers, it might actually be a good game (Yes, I know, this doesn't bode well for DS1, but Ascaron are half English and previews say the voice acting is only half crap).
It now occurs to me that I forgot about Gabriel Knight III, which is sitting waiting for its chance. That might happen tonight now Emma's gone away again.
The first time Dori's Exalted group managed to get together for almost three months was hampered on Saturday by various outside influences - some meriting it, others caused by Hobbit being identical to shit - but we got the plot moving again, finding out why there has been a spirit jumping around between party members rendering them unable to interact with the outside world. Turns out that it's the guardian of the Manse that the party want into and was testing us all for worthiness. Strange - we all thought it was a device to account for one player or another not being there.
Either way, the party is now camped at the closest city to the elemental pole of fire that man has ever inhabited (not that it's inhabited now), looking for the key to the Manse that the spirit assures them is present there...somwhere. This trip was expediated by Jon/Ranek (stupidly) killing important Dragonblooded while we were staying for a few days in the Lap, causing Sorin to pretend righteous indignation as a device for getting us out quickly and a hasty exit. He proceeded to enjoy throwing invective at Ranek (the spirit kindly rendering him inert) for several hours each day as they travelled south to their destination. Next Saturday, we may have all five people present for the first time since January, right in time for Dori to run a dungeon crawl - we're miles from anywhere, so we could indulge in hardcore anima flaring and no-one would notice.
On Sunday, Emma turned up in her larp kit and I knew this was going to be a long day.
For the first time in a couple of months, I monstered a TL game as a means of spending the most time with her that I could. I'd like to say it was really good to be back and I fell in love with the system again.
I'd also like a lottery win. And a raft of polymeric results for the PhD.
I had fun, more than I expected, but I think it lost its shine a while ago for me and isn't going to get it back. If I turn up to play this year's character, I think I'm in the position where no-one can tell me I'm doing something they'd rather I didn't, no-one's toes are being trodden on and nothing unchangeable can come from what I do. Whether this makes the character a formless, functionless box or the walking internal monologue I intended him to be remains to be seen. No doubt opinion will be divided between those who know and those who think they do.
I have also just seen what Tim has named his character for next year. Carey would approve. Or possibly tear his head off.
Emma, despite obvious exhaustion at still being two hours ahead of everyone, liked my home-made honey ice cream, and bestowed upon me many gifts, both for me to keep and to hand out to various parties when I next see them. In addition to my name in hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian scent, she bought me a plush dancing camel. I'm not sure what to make of this.
By Friday, in ever increasing boredom as I waited on various things (Emma's return, internet being connected, DarkStar One release), more old games were coming out than I cared to consider: Enemy Nations, Imperium Galactica II, Gothic, Krypton Egg, and I was on the point of re-installing Diggers before I realised it was late enough to be going to bed. Of all the ones revisited, only Enemy Nations and Gothic may get a further look in once DS1 and EQ2 are here and normal service is resumed. For an RTS game, I like the way that Enemy Nations forces you to create at least a rudimentary civilian economy (Civilisation style) before geeking the other people trying to get on with their lives in the same way. It's slightly limited in that there is no real plot, just a backstory, but no-one was expecting even that much when it came out. Gothic, I bought when trying out alternatives to EQ back when I thought there must be other games as good. I lost patience with it almost entirely, the controls being harder than the Fisher-Price coloured buttons of EQ, but now I'm able to look at it again in the light of experience, there's a lot more to it than I previously thought. If only German game producers could hire decent vocal talent to do their english voiceovers, it might actually be a good game (Yes, I know, this doesn't bode well for DS1, but Ascaron are half English and previews say the voice acting is only half crap).
It now occurs to me that I forgot about Gabriel Knight III, which is sitting waiting for its chance. That might happen tonight now Emma's gone away again.
The first time Dori's Exalted group managed to get together for almost three months was hampered on Saturday by various outside influences - some meriting it, others caused by Hobbit being identical to shit - but we got the plot moving again, finding out why there has been a spirit jumping around between party members rendering them unable to interact with the outside world. Turns out that it's the guardian of the Manse that the party want into and was testing us all for worthiness. Strange - we all thought it was a device to account for one player or another not being there.
Either way, the party is now camped at the closest city to the elemental pole of fire that man has ever inhabited (not that it's inhabited now), looking for the key to the Manse that the spirit assures them is present there...somwhere. This trip was expediated by Jon/Ranek (stupidly) killing important Dragonblooded while we were staying for a few days in the Lap, causing Sorin to pretend righteous indignation as a device for getting us out quickly and a hasty exit. He proceeded to enjoy throwing invective at Ranek (the spirit kindly rendering him inert) for several hours each day as they travelled south to their destination. Next Saturday, we may have all five people present for the first time since January, right in time for Dori to run a dungeon crawl - we're miles from anywhere, so we could indulge in hardcore anima flaring and no-one would notice.
On Sunday, Emma turned up in her larp kit and I knew this was going to be a long day.
For the first time in a couple of months, I monstered a TL game as a means of spending the most time with her that I could. I'd like to say it was really good to be back and I fell in love with the system again.
I'd also like a lottery win. And a raft of polymeric results for the PhD.
I had fun, more than I expected, but I think it lost its shine a while ago for me and isn't going to get it back. If I turn up to play this year's character, I think I'm in the position where no-one can tell me I'm doing something they'd rather I didn't, no-one's toes are being trodden on and nothing unchangeable can come from what I do. Whether this makes the character a formless, functionless box or the walking internal monologue I intended him to be remains to be seen. No doubt opinion will be divided between those who know and those who think they do.
I have also just seen what Tim has named his character for next year. Carey would approve. Or possibly tear his head off.
Emma, despite obvious exhaustion at still being two hours ahead of everyone, liked my home-made honey ice cream, and bestowed upon me many gifts, both for me to keep and to hand out to various parties when I next see them. In addition to my name in hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian scent, she bought me a plush dancing camel. I'm not sure what to make of this.
