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Web comic that's updated several times a week, and more...

4th Edition D&D review

After playtesting the new edition of dungeons and dragons and reading all the other reviews out there I can answer you one thing:

4th Edition is the worst game system I have ever played. It is terribly broken in its mechanics and feels written for the MMO kiddies. Every class can do something 'special' - like heal themselves. This may sound like an awesome and innovative thing, but let me assure you it is not.

There used to be a specific edge for each class in the game, with abilities bleeding over slightly. The cleric healed, the fighter fought, and the mage spelled.

It took our group an hour to go through an encounter of 5 monsters and 6 players. Normally, in a first level game it would have only taken at the most 20 minutes. Something is amiss here.

No more taking 20s. Fighters can heal themselves to max out of combat. It's all like a bad raid in WoW. I hate WoW, therefore I hate 4th.

Stay away from 4th. Save your money, or buy miniatures.
I'm too irate to give a decent review.

HeroesCon 2007, summery of sorts

Well, I was really fatigued after the con - imagine that. Anyway, I'll post the highlights.

During the DC Nation panel I asked if there was a point to Amazons Attack. I asked bluntly, for two reasons. First of all I couldn't think of a better way to ask, and nerves were a little fuzzy from actually being called on. Second, I thought Didio could dig into the question with his usual snarky replies. It worked, and he continued to point in my direction when talking about possible upcoming titles and explaining how they will be good to read. I wasn't frustrated/angry about being the butt of his banter - I was laughing and smiles the whole time.

Afterwards I came up and explained my take on it, and he acknowledged that the delays with Wonder Woman messed the timing up, and it didn't have nearly the impact it should have had with other big events going on. I then asked if there was a point to the series, asking if there was a worthwhile reward at the end. He said yes, and mentioned a bit about Wonder Girl, but that fits in with what we all now know about the new miniseries with her. I then went fanboy on him and got my photo with him, just like last year.

The next day at the Countdown and Beyond panel I waited till the lightning round Didio does - quick questions and answers near the end of the panel for those who have yet to attend something he hosts. I asked another sharp question - "Where's Azrael?" Didio paused a moment as voices rose up from the crowd and then responded with "He's Dead! He's the one hero who stays dead!" It was another fun moment I thought.

On the final day I had my photo taken with Rosario Dawson, and I can honestly say she is a truely lovely person. I could have been starstruck by her, but she also felt genuinely enthusiastic about being there and among the comic crowd. She was digging into an Unmasked Joker figure while I was chatting with her briefly with my quarter-minute of fame.

I also arrived with 400 NCGA fliers, and all but maybe 30 vanished by the end of the convention. Here's hoping quite a few emails are sent to the guy on the flier...

If anyone has questions about the con, ask me in the comments section - You'll help jog my memory and I can answer them to the best I'm able...

Heroes Con 2007

This weekend I'll be at Heores Con down in Charlotte, NC!

Afterwards I'll post a write up summerizing the more interesting parts, or as the case may be, what I happen to remember over the weekend.

If anyone out there is going, and perchance wants to hunt me down, I can be found with the Klingons there, as well as wondering around the floor. Saturday I'll be wearing my grey NC Gamers Alliance shirt - it has dice on it and stuff. Good luck finding me...

Oh - and just so you know, don't do anything stupid - the Klingons like me better than you.

^_^

Mishaps and Motivation

Well, this week at work has been...interesting. Aside from a minor mishap earlier in the work in which I smashed my hand in a cable assembly, today held a majority of the craziness (minor, becuase it only bruised a little). I'd go into more detail about why it was crazy, but I really can't talk about the products we work on, especially on a public forum. Most at work chalked it up to it being Friday the 13th, which I laughed at a little. Nothing like a supposed outside force to place the blame on your own shortcomings, instead of taking responsibility. However, it wasn't out fault for the biggest incident, and for that I laugh maniaclly as all of my work this week was for naught.

Still going strong on World of Warcraft. Pushing hard for level 20, and as of tonight when I logged off I was only a little bit away from getting there. After that I "plan" to relax a bit and merge other things back into my off time from work.

Crazy thing is, a friend of mine is building a D&D campaign. I offered to play when he gets it ready, which will probably take up my weekends. More on that as it develops.

So the real question remains, when do I get to read my comics? Answer: Usual times. In fact WoW had messed me up for normally posting about this week's cashing in.

So, what was good?

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #199
I really liked how this story ended. I have to say, I was a little worried how it would end. At first I was planning for the story to just fizzle out when Batman stopped him. The way it ended, the way it unfolded, was pulled off in such a way I almost didn't want to read anything afterwards to keep from that feeling of satisfaction from getting spoiled.

That's all I had subscription wise, which surprised me.

I thought Green lantern was supposed to come out this week, but I saw it nowhere - guess it's off schedule a bit. I also picked up Batman: Detective 27, the new batman Elseworld book. I'll review it when I get around to reading it (hopefully this weekend, since I love Elseworld).

Infinite Crisis #4 comes out nextweek, and I'm excited...

WoW and Supergirl

So I was talked back into playing World of Warcraft. I had quit for nearly a year, until I was drawn back. However, instead of playing a Gnomish Warlock this time around I'm playing a Nightelf Hunter. I traded quirky cute for physically cute (pale skin w/ pulled back hair ftw!) If I keep this up I swear WoW will suck my soul, if Kalinara hadn't called dibs already...

So anyway, in my downtime from WoW I've been catching up on back issues of comics. I've been impressed with Superman/Batman so I picked up the collected books of the past story archs, in the meantime while I wait for them to come in I found a few of the comics. Alas I am reading about Supergirl, and woe to me for I now know why the masses despise her.

I admit I was really into the crash landing and her escape/running wild in the city. I thought they did that part really well. After that point I read like I was watching a trainwreck - I couldn't stop reading as much as I didn't enjoy parts.

Ok, so she is just like Superman, but a girl. I can handle that. Culture shock, sure I've had it so she can as well. She just talks, a lot. Superman also is acting wacked out, being superprotective. Hah! I made a pun! However, I digress.

What really annoyed me was how everyone on Paradise Island wore as tight fitting clothes as possible made of spandex, or short skirts, or extreme midriff tops. I know Kalinara and others have talked about this before, and I added my part (but very randomly). What really screwed with my head was that I noticed far more butt-shots, or rather the panel camera designed to maximize the number of possible glimpses. Since Paradise Island is where the Amazons live, the comic felt watching an ad for DoA: Beach Volleyball.

I thought it was too much of a distraction, and between that and the arguing between Diana, Supes, and Kara I honestly don't remember much from the issue other than a bunch of Doomsday animates porting in and getting blown away. That was cool, Paradise Island was not. In fact, I think I remember seeing more half-exposed rears in this issue than the issues of Wonder Woman I've read. I haven't read many issues, mind you, but they seemed to be more creative in hiding various areas of the body.

Well, that's my rant for the day, to make up for lost time thanks to MMORPGing