Bucking the Trend

Being that it is the end of the year, "year in review" posts are all the rage.  And I get it - with the new year just around the corner, people like to look back over the current year and list things.  Good, bad, indifferent, or all of the above, people like lists.  But I'm not going to do one.

Festivals

This time of year, more than any other, I think, MMOs love to hold some type of 'winter' festival.  Many, at least the ones I play, give out free stuff and/or let you earn certain items not usually available by running certain content.  This presents a dilemma...

Stop Baglessness - Bring Mari Back

How many new players know that they can - or at least, are supposed to be able to - get (3) free, small* bags (collectibles [red], ingredients [green], and gems [blue]) with each new toon?  I say "supposed to" because I have a few new toons which were unable to acquire said bags.  Well, at least the free red and blue ones.

Tripping the Time Loop

As any sci-fi fan/geek/nerd will know, a "time loop" is when some event occurs that forces time to fold back on itself, causing one or more people to relive the same experiences over and over again.  Usually, at least one person will (eventually) realize what is happening and a way to break-out is sought.

EVE Online F2P Almost Here

I find myself looking forward to the newest expansion of EVE Online (EVEO).  Titled "Ascension", it promises a load of changes, not the least of which is "Clone States", the name given to the Free-to-Play (F2P) system model of EVEO.

Running the Numbers

It's that time of year again:  "Night Revels" has returned.  I like Night Revels.  Maybe not as much as the original Mabar event, but I do like it.  That said...

Behind the Scenes Change

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

An-n-n-d One Hundred

WARNING - VERY LENGTHY POST AHEAD

{And no "TL/DR" summary, either.  You have been warned...}

This is it - post 100.  Woohoo!

I've Got 99 Posts, Son...

Which of course means my next post will be number 100...for this site, anyways.  I've been trying to come up with something "special" for post 100, but so far, I got nothin'.

In any event, let me point out a couple of changes here at ol' Chez CR.

Longest Dry Spell

Hello?
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Is this thing on? Can anybody hear me (metaphorically speaking)?

The Coming VR Wars

Virtual Reality (VR).  It has been around a lot longer than you think.  One of the earliest VR headsets was actually invented back in 1960 (that's even before I was born).  But 2016 has seen, shall we say, a resurgence of the dream of an affordable, home use product.

EVE Online Going F2P

Not that long ago, Geoff Hanna posted about the EVE Online publishers erecting an actual, real-life, out-of-game monument to its players.  Included in that post was a blurb about how EVE Online 'hosted' what is believed to be the largest PvP battle of all time (I found the linked article of the battle quite an interesting read).  Of course, I have heard of EVE online, but I've never played it.  That may change, come November, 2016.

Custom STO Miniatures

Ah, miniatures.  For many, visions of elven archers, dwarven axe-wielders, and a sundry of monsters of all sorts comes to mind when one mentions "miniatures".  But there are so many, many more types of  those detailed, small-scale, often die-cast (at least, back in 'the day') figurines used in many RPG game-play to represent your character* on the play-field.

A Good Post, Ruined

I had a topic for a good post:  "Least Useful Spell, Ever".  But it seems that it has been "fixed", though I'm not sure anyone really knows it.

I'm Going to Take Credit

Whether I actually deserve it, or not, is irrelevant - I'm still going to take credit for it anyway.

Tales from PnP: Damn Githyankis

Last night*, during our regularly scheduled "Guild Night" on Thelanis, the chat somehow managed to wander over into the topic of the astral plane of D&D lore and the mentioning of a few of the races that can be found there.  Once such race is the Githyanki.

LotRO Announces the End of the Players' Council

According to this post, LotRO will apparently not be renewing their Players' Council (PC) program.  Or I suppose more correctly, "Players' Counlcils" as they have two (one is dedicated to PvMP - "Player vs. Monster-Player", LotRO's version of PvP).

I Got Nothin'

Been sitting here, staring at a blank 'page' for some time, trying to think up something to write about.  But I got nothin'.

Agents of Yesterday

For the second time, STO has come up with a way of encouraging players to make new characters.

Supervillainesque

My characters are not evil.  Even back in my PnP playing days, never did I - nor would I - make an evil character.  A DM tried to make me evil once, but he failed.  Which is not to say my characters never do 'evil' things.  But then, I suppose it may all depend on what your definition of 'evil' is.

But, in running the "Sentinels of Stormreach" (SoS) chain, there are times when I feel just a little bit like a supervillain.

The Uniqueness of STO

There is a feature in Star Trek Online (STO) that is similar to, yet unlike, features in other MMOs:  they have a memorial.

Customer (Dis-)Service?

What makes "good" customer service (CS)?  Is it just getting the issue resolved, quickly?  What if that's not possible?

The Last Cake

I've been running epic content on my ranger for a while now because guildies have decided they want to Epic Reincarnate (why the community has decided to abbreviate this by eTR, instead of eR or ER, I don't know...) and I didn't have enough Commendations of Valor (CoVs) or Heart Seeds (HSs) to do so.  Not to mention I wasn't at cap when this was decided (but I wasn't going to mention that).

Running on EE

Running with guildies who play more often than you can be a challenge as they will often out-level you.  Fortunately, this was not a problem in the heroic levels with Malowulf, my ranger, because, thanks to a benevolent benefactor (is there another kind?), I was given a stone of XP, which I used.  So, whenever they would level, I was able to keep up.  Epic levels, though, were another matter.

(New) Random Loot Weapons vs Named Loot Weapons

It started as far back as U14 and the +x[w] system...

Amazed but Pleased

Regardless of the outcome, it was still a "less than wise" decision.  Still, I'm pleased it went smoothly.  Even Geoff Hanna was "pleasantly surprised".

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

Well, he wasn't exactly a "king"...and technically, he's not "dead"...and the new guy really isn't a "king", either...

Failed WIS Check?

Scenario:  You have your 10th anniversary coming up; something you've been planning all year.  It happens to fall in late February/early March, but what you have planned will last "probably through March".  You also have to move, something which has also been in planning for about a year, but does not seem to be overly-critical as to "when" it must occur.  Pop-quiz, hot-shot:  What do you do?

Subterrane: The Forgotten Wilderness

It's not for the faint of heart.  It is a 'wilderness' area unlike (presently) any other:  it is a raid area.  Which means a few things.

Gnome Backing Out Now

Gnomes are here!  At least, sort of - they are on Lamannia.