Callie

The people I play Arkham Horror with don't seem to understand the cooperative aspect of the game: we always lose. I suppose that's a limitation of any similar game. I have an earlier Kennerspiel des Jahres winner called 7 Wonders; it's akin to a deck card game version of the Civilization franchise. It's one of my favorite board games, along with Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico.

B'tuin was a joke Lilith made in the other thread, as a form of "A'tuin the lesser."

12 Years a Slave: 9/10 - A compelling, heart-rending historical drama that never stoops to the level of bowdlerizing its subject material; few films can compare in direction and acting. The hype is not without warrant, but remember: it's a film about someone who escaped, not someone subjected to an entire lifetime of enslavement. American Hustle: 7/10 - Tries to be Goodfellas, but fails to reach the bar. There are many great scenes and an incredible acting ensemble, but it's a vibrant collage assembled with musty kindergarten glue. Gravity: 7/10 - I have not seen a film with better visual effects; however, I have seen many films with better screenplays. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: 7/10 - All around, it's better than the previous film. I have more lingering questions than would be expected of a second installment in a trilogy, though. Mud: 7/10 - A southern gothic film that presents itself like a fairy tale. The characterization and acting are top-notch, but some elements of the plot are a little corny. Elysium: 5/10 - Matt Damon, the only white person left on earth, (wait, what?) is tasked with infiltrating the spacecraft residence of the rich and powerful. He gains a powered exoskeleton that makes for some great action sequences, but he can't save the film from its lackluster writing. It's interesting to see Jodie Foster as an antagonist, though. Star Trek Into Darkness: 4/10 - The writers were loath to create a convincing exposition, so they threw the clichéd "random dying child" routine at us. Some dudes are warping around in space and stuff explodes and stuff. We meet some smart, blonde girl who is randomly half-naked and then we meet a recycled villain from an earlier movie. Then we see some more stuff blow up and the movie ends. It was bright out that day, so I had an amusing sneezing fit when I left the theater. Side Effects: 3/10 - Boring, and the attempt at a plot twist is nothing more than a prejudiced trope. Thor: The Dark World: 1/10 - Flagrantly awful. I am told that the supposed merit of blockbusters consists of stunts and special effects, but this film is ultimately just an eyesore. Characters? Forget about it... Thor is an insipid, two-dimensional superhero who's really just beefcake in armor; Dr. Foster claims to have three degrees but is only capable of obsessing about Thor and spewing forth dubious technobabble. There's also a dude named Loki. During World War II, the plot to this film was proposed as an alternative to Navajo codetalkers, but it failed due to the writers' inability to decrypt it. Unfortunately, Thor succeeds and the stock villains fail to destroy the universe, leaving the whole of humanity subject to the experience of watching Thor: The Dark World (rendering the title oddly appropriate). I plan to see the latest Hobbit movie at some point, but I was not impressed by the first installment. There are a number of independent films I want to watch, but I'll have to wait until they're available to rent.

Whoa, CyndiTM has an incredibly compressed torso. I'm worried our ironic feline friend will succumb to heart failure, and then nobody will stop and think before they connect (which is apparently done exclusively in boldface).

Especially if they're embarrassing. "Muffin where inhumanity burns" was hilarious, though. May Babelfish rest in peace.

Its inventors might promise a new era of genius, but don't listen to them. They're just trying to find recruits for their own private army of demons. We'll finally gain the ability to be thinkers! Fellow creators are what the creator seeks, after all. (I have my own hand drawn tech tree for the game pinned above my desk...)

Let us rein in our vassals as suggested and turn these blasphemous Karenese away from Ahura Mazda. (This game seems really fun, but whoa, information overload)

Answers! 1. 66.057796,-23.168246 (Isafjardarbaer, Iceland) 2. 13.210469,77.629373 (Clarks Exotica, Bangalore, India) 3. 8.874058,-75.621997 (Cienago de Oro, Cordoba, Colombia) 4. 46.331045,18.699822 (Szekszard, Hungary) 5. 62.892089,27.688025 (Kuopio, Finland) (tridash) 6. -28.781782,114.614852 (Geraldton, Australia) (Aran/Khoth/Memphis Dim Sims) 7. 31.938124,34.869122 (Ramla, Israel) (SoT) 8. 32.24742,-92.718287 (Jonesboro, Louisiana, USA) (Edgwyn) 9. 35.170322,129.1344 (Busan, South Korea) 10. -22.542186,27.088927 (Palapye, Botswana) (Dikiyoba) 11. 55.00269,82.927211 (Novosibirsk, Russia) (tridash) 12. 37.739168,-25.668131 (Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal) (Edgwyn) 13. -27.464197,-70.264829 (Tierra Amarilla, Chile) (Edgwyn) 14. 42.463029,9.20702 (Ponte Leccia, Corsica, France) 15. 14.743589,99.446426 (Nong Prue, Thailand) (Dikiyoba) (I've noticed that the coordinates are half a block off, usually)

...who's bringing the blood?

1. Neray 2. 3. NSFW 4. Nickel and Dimed 5. Newcastle Brown Ale 6. Napa cabbage 7. Nimble Fingers (Exile trait) 8. New Cotra 9. Nicothodes 10. Neverending flame wars 11. Necromancy 12. Nuptials

I find it funny that there are tobacco pipes in Avadon 2, but no tobacco. What are they smoking?

I dunno, a Randomizer boss would totally immobilize you and ensure that you're properly min-maxed before fighting.

I'm not convinced that there would have been a bloody land war without the bombings. The USSR had just declared war, and there's only so much Japan could have done against such a force.

*i's PDN is just two characters, so he was just a contrasted smidgin on the who's online list. Alorael, on the other hand, is an ominous, red string that constantly watches the inner depths of your soul. I'm eager to see the new PDN he reveals at the next Two Minutes Hate.

I accidentally gave 15 away; I forgot that the paint marking is just a layer on the photo. I made this too hard, after all, in GeoGuessr you can generally see the language on signs and I actively avoided that, sorry! I'll give hints for each place on the list: One: Not the U.S. It's in the far northern latitudes. Two: In the tropics (Edgwyn). This country is not entirely in the tropics, though. Three: South America (Edgwyn) Four: Europe (Edgwyn). It's actually eastern Europe. Five: Eupope (Edgwyn). The predominant language here is markedly different from other European languages. Six: Australia (Aran/Khoth/Memphis Dim Sims). I could not imagine a pick-up like that in the UK. Seven: This is a country with enforced conscription. Eight: Southern US (Edgwyn) Nine: Street view only has coverage in this country's two largest metropolitan areas. Ten: Southern Africa, (Dikiyoba) but not South Africa. Eleven: Guessing the correct country would still be vague. Twelve: Porta Delgada, Azores (Edgwyn) Thirteen: Southern Hemisphere Fourteen: On an island Fifteen: Nong Prue, Thailand (Dikiyoba)

I'm going to try something different. Below are links to fifteen images in Google street view. Your job is to guess the locations of these images. Responses can be as vague as "eastern Europe" or as specific as "1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC, USA." At some point, I will announce whose guesses were the closest to the actual location. The winner will receive the meaningless approbation of many peers. This is essentially like GeoGuessr, but not random. No country appears more than once (including overseas territories). One - Far north, not the US. Two - Tropics, country is not entirely in the tropics Three - South America Four - Eastern Europe Five - Europe, but the language is quite a bit different from other European languages. Six - Australia (Aran/Khoth/Memphis Dim Sims) Seven - Country with enforced conscription Eight - Southern US (Edgwyn) Nine - Google street view only covers this country's two largest metropolitan areas. Ten - Southern Africa, but not South Africa (Dikiyoba) Eleven - Guessing the correct country would still be vague Twelve - Porta Delgada, Azores (Edgwyn) Thirteen - Southern Hemisphere Fourteen - On an island Fifteen - Nong Prue, Thailand (Dikiyoba)

Jeff has expressed his disdain for "whom."

Zethron is in the first floor of the Avadon dungeon. The gates are locked initially; Synergizer's list says they're unlocked after the Journey to Tawon quest, but I seem to remember entering at an earlier point.

Does Nixon even run for president in '68? If Nixon wins, does Watergate still happen? Does Spiro Agnew resign?

Unsellable trowels? Sanity missiles? Implant interference devices? ...melons?

May he snipe us lowly pedestrians with skribbane-induced fervor! —Excalibur, who tempts our new overlord thusly by thievishly saying hooray!

You thought the Earth rested on the back of a turtle? Not just any turtle: an insane, fluffy turtle.

So that's why the earth rotates. Huh.

My biggest gripe about the game so far is that most enemy turrets and mines are pointless. In most cases, one can simply stand out of range to destroy turrets. Mines can easily be removed, and setting them off is inconsequential because the damage is so low. In other words, navigating enemy traps consists of clicking ad nauseam.

You realize that now you will never get a custom title? The first rule of custom titles is to never talk about custom titles.