X-men movie

Hey there ladies and gentlemen (mostly gentlemen).

Tonight me and Valhalla (I think I’m going to start shortening it to Val., despite his many protests, let me know what you think) wanted to do a post on all the fantastic Marvel movies that have been coming out lately as the latest one will be here soon. Who here is excited about ‘The Avengers’? I think me and Val. are both extremely excited. I was upset when ‘Captain America’ came out as Val. had promised to come and watch it with me but every time we planned it he cancelled on me (all his excuses were valid and forgivable….:( but it also means I haven’t been able to see it yet). It came out recently on DVD and as soon as I am able to get to town that will be the first thing I buy.

Tonight, Val. supposedly left me his part of the post in our blog email account drafts box but I’ve been through the whole thing and it’s empty and I left my laptop at college so tonight’s post is a bit late again (you’re probably thinking, ‘so how is he sending us this?’ well, my smart muffins, I managed to convince my reluctant mother that it would be a good idea to let me use her desktop (which incidentally is better than my laptop) for a short period of time, and this is all I have time to supply at this hour as she was adamant that I get to bed as soon as I can for college tomorrow and the rescue of my laptop, she seems to have forgotten that I am, in fact, 18).

I thought that I would be cool to at least do a brief review on my favourite Marvel movie so far.

To date, my favourite has been X-men. Yeah I know, not exactly similar to the comics (they could at least have made the costumes SIMILAR, poor Wolverine, missing out on his yellow and blue and getting instead a plain blue x-men, rubber, one-piece).

Despite it’s dissimilarities to the original I would like to examine the movie as something separate to any comic.

I am a HUGE fan of X-men and regardless of the movies lack of respect I thought it was a pretty amazing movie.

I thought the actors were impressive, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was pretty darn cool, James Marsden as Cyclops (If I was gay James would be my man crush), loved it. I loved Halle Berry as Storm, she was pretty awesome and of course totally hot in her cat-suit, even Professor X was awesome, Patrick Stewart was perfect. Enough about the actors.

I thought the school was well done, the filming, the acting…let’s just say that I have watched that movie more times than I can count on my hands and probably toes together.

I will have to leave you with this brief post tonight as I am falling asleep at my desk and I have a performance tomorrow night so I must be awake.

Slaying my first dragon

I'm way behind other people with Skyrim - they're always asking me if I've done this and that. It's depressing having so little time to play games at the moment. I haven't even been on WoW for the past week. Anyway, I hat a few hours to play Skyrim tonight, which pleased me greatly. I've been looking forward to slaying my first Dragon for the past week or so. When I was at college, I thought about it. At work, I thought about it. Basically. it hasn't stopped. A can of my good friend Dr. P by my side, and a pair of toasty socks on my feet, I started up Steam and continued with my adventure. I may be writing this at two in the morning, but all those hours of Skyrimming were well worth it.

Irileth was standing in front of me, waiting to tell me what to do next. She was rather abrupt (we never got on very well) and ordered to meet her by the watchtower so that we could take down the dragon that was threatening our lands. Filled with passion and love for Whiterun, I raced on at full speed towards the watchtower, jumping over tall grass and dodging pointy rocks. As I approached the little stone tower, I met up with the guards and Irileth, all of which were relatively pleased to see me. Staying as close to the other soldiers as possible, I surrounded the tower with them, my weapon held firmly in my hands. It was only a matter of seconds before the dragon arrived. Lacking any sense of strategy or thought I raced in there with my mace, hoping to strike the beast in the head with my mighty mace. Yeah, that failed epically. I was cooked like a spit-roasted hog. I decided that the second attempt should be better planned. Best to think before I start getting all heroic and feel like I can destroy anything. I took a moment to think out the second phase, and decided that the best thing to do was to go long range  -which I did. Using my hunting bow I was able to get a good shot and slew the Dragon in a minute or two. Easy stuff, didn't take me long. Despite how simple the battle was, it was absolutely exhilarating, and I cannot wait to kill my next. I am no longer a Dragon slaying virgin. Feels good, I tell you that!

The Dragon was dead, and I was feeling pretty good. Striding over to the corpse of the fallen beast (brimming with confidence, of course), I stood before it ready to loot its body. Suddenly, something strange began to happen. A fiery light surrounded both the Dragon and I, consuming us in a mesmerising, powerful force. The Dragon's flesh began to tear away from its bones and turn into energy, energy that was absorbed by me. I figured this was a pretty weird thing to occur, and judging by the muttering from the guards behind me, I was right. Once I had absorbed the power, I discovered that I had gained the ability to shout like a Dragon - I was pretty pleased by this. The guards were incredibly excited, asking me to shout for them, praising me on my heritage and exclaiming how proud they were to be fighting by my side. I appeased them by shouting at the top of my lungs, with a force so strong that it blew the guards backwards. They were massively impressed by this act and continued to shout my praise.All except that damnable woman, Irileth. She just stood there, unimpressed and telling everyone how she couldn't care less about anything that I was able to do. As long as I could kill Dragons, all was well. Her reaction just irritated me, so I hung out with the guards on my way back to Whiterun. Well, part of the way - they were being far too slow for my liking.

Dragon Slaying makes you thirsty

I made my way back to the Jarl so that I could report my findings to him. On my way, I met some strange looking soldiers, who appeared to be the Skyrim equivalent to a Middle-Eastern soldier, that wanted me to track down a woman from their clan. According to the foreign men she would be going by a different name, and although they refused to tell me why they wanted her, they were offering money for me to return her to them. As they were not welcome in Whiterun, it was up to me to complete the task. However, I'm having a moral problem here, and wonder if it's right for me to hand this woman over. What do you guys think? I also heard a long anti-Elf speech, which I took the time to listen to. Apparently, we Elves are bad creatures and this guy who was preaching happened to be chosen by Talos (who I am sure is made of metal in Greek mythology, the servant of Hephaestus.) which made him divine and wise. I'm not sure I believe any of what he's saying, after all, I'm an Elf and I haven't stolen anything yet; even though I've been incredibly tempted by that horse outside the stables. Ignoring the preacher (who goes on a lot, I have to admit), I continued to the palace at the top of the hill where I approached the Jarl, respectfully and politely of course. He was very pleased that the Dragon was dead, and that Whiterun was safe from harm for a little while longer. Slouching in his chair, he asked me what else happened during the fight, as if he knew about my new found power - the power that the guards had called that of the Dragonborn. Reluctantly, I told him about what had happened, how I absorbed the Dragon's power and what the guards had called me. The Jarl was intrigued by this and asked if I had heard the rumbling noise from before. I had almost forgotten about it. The noise was deafening and the whole ground shook. I nodded, showing that I did indeed remember the event. The Jarl told me that a special group of people (it's early in the morning, I've forgotten their name) were summoning me. He also told me that nothing like this had happened for many, many years. I could tell that everyone was shocked, even sceptical about what was occurring, but I knew that it was something vital to my destiny. Listening intently, I took in everything the Jarl told me to visit High Hrothgar where they would be waiting for me. I accepted. As I was about to leave, he gave me the title of Thane -  a hero of the land. All the citizens of Whiterun would know who I was and would respect me. Feeling pleased with myself, I thanked the Jarl and bid him goodnight.

Adventuring takes a lot out of you, and I was shattered. I desperately needed sleep, and I could find no where to go. The Drunken Huntsman had no rooms, and whenever I went into an unlocked house someone would scream for the guards. After hours of searching, I arrived at the HQ for the Companions, an elite group with limited membership. I had planned on being a long ranger, but being in need of sleep I decided to do things that no free Elf should ever have to do...I joined the club. I spoke to a guy called Vilkas first, he was a little grouchy, but I thought he was alright. He directed me to his superior, who was next to him. I had a quick chat with him, and in the end I was told to practice fighting with Vilkas outside, which I did. I won that mini battle, no problem there. Vilkas seemed annoyed, but remained respectful and took the defeat like a man. For me to become a full fledged member, I was required to take Vilkas' sword to a blacksmith so that it could be sharpened. So, I began another quest, knowing that I would have a bed by the end of it. It was the thought of warm blankets that kept me going.

After I found the smithy

Warm blankets are a myth, and beds are lost in time. That's what I was thinking as I searched hopelessly for the blacksmith and a bed. I searched so long and hard that night turned to day, and I had gone yet another night without sleep. Exhausted from all my previous battles, I was overjoyed to discover an inn known as the Bannered Mare where I was able to rent a room and take a well deserved rest. By the time I rose from bed, refreshed and full of life, it was dark again, but I no longer cared - I had a blacksmith to look for. I continued around the whole of Whiterun again, but to no avail. It was by luck that I found the smithy, and only because I saw the very corner of the stairs on my way around Companions HQ. I raced up the stairs and chatted to the blacksmith, who was pleased to receive the sword. Once I handed Vilkas' sword over, I was asked to deliver a shield to one of the other Companions, which I did loyally. Once it was done I became a member of the Companions and was given my very own bed (yay!). I was very pleased by this.

I didn't feel like going to my main destination right away, especially as I wanted to buy a house and level up a bit before heading out. So, I accepted a load of side quests that I haven't done yet. I completed two tonight. One was beating up and intimidating a rather vicious woman, and the other required me stealing a book that gave evidence for someone;s kidnap. The others will have to wait.

Beating her up...

Stolen book

Breaking the news to the family

Join me again soon for another Skyrim update. Happy Dragon slaying, readers!

A very tired Valhalla.

Fable 1

Fable I

I’m a huge fantasy fan and I also have a strange adoration for the period that this game was set in despite my hatred of history (for someone who hates history there is a weird amount of time periods which fascinate me).

This game is one of the most anticipated games on the market. Who doesn’t love a bit of sword play, fantasy, heroism and ale drinking?

Fable is a third person action RPG based around 1 main character and his dog which follows him everywhere, the character is called ‘The Hero of Oakvale’. The cool thing is, your character can either be good or evil depending on your actions. The game is set in Albion which is a patchwork collection of towns and cities that used to be called the Old Kingdom (you’d thing that would come later rather than sooner) when it lived in prosperity but as time went on the ruler became corrupt and now the hero lives in a lawless, country that is slowly deteriorating.

The Hero is sent on quests, some further the plot and some are merely for entertainment value and for gain. Some quests allow the player to pick which side they wish to help, good or evil, these choices lead to the characters over all popularity and reputation. If a player accepts a quest then they can boast and can have bets like doing the whole quest naked or without getting hurt they can then increase the money they get from the quest if this challenge is overcome (I think that’s pretty cool, how many games dare you to do a quest naked?).

Renown is the most important thing the hero needs. To get this they can boast about winnings and trophies, they can use gold from quests to buy it but they also need the gold to buy better weapons to make harder quests achievable which also gets them Renown.

Weapons range (see what I did there? I make myself laugh sometimes. Someone has to...laugh that is) from swords and maces to bows and arrows and that even includes magic. To increase magical ability the hero must kill enemies and collect their orbs. Different colours mean different things; there is general, strength, skill and will. General can be used to modify groups of attributes, strength is good for toughness, health etc, Skill, for speed and accuracy and such and Will is for upgrading your spells. Each spell upgrade will tell you how much of which one it needs.

The Fable map is riddled with towns and cities, full of life and activities for the hero. I good way to get gold is to buy houses and rent them out(if you are feeling malevolent you can raise the rent or even, if you are feeling extra vicious, kick our your tenants for new ones). If you want, although if you ask me it’s a bit strange, you can find a woman, or man (you can even be gay) and get married (I should warn you, all the towns folk are really ugly) and have children (unless you are in a gay relationship in which case you can’t have children).

A note on alignment

I mentioned this earlier. Your character has the ability to become good or evil based on actions you choose to take. Well here is a bit more about that.

I think most gamers like the evil looking ones (it might just be me and my weird observation) like me and Valhalla. Some I suppose may like being good, well this game takes them to the extreme. The good ones get halo’s and end up looking a bit like prince charming (retch) and butterfly’s follow them around and it’s all pretty and such and the evil ones grow horns and get red eyes and give of a glowing red aura as a warning to any who approach.

Other things that affect the hero

If you eat too much or drink too much you become irreversibly fat it can also make you throw up.

Clothes can make you appear scary or protect you in battle and they can also affect your alignment. Bright colours will make the townspeople like you and dark colours will make them fear you.

You can change your hair, facial features and even get tattoos. Attributes also affect aesthetics such as your strength increases brawn, skill affects your height, and spells make celestial patterns on your skin.

Plot

As a child the hero’s family is killed, on his sister’s birthday. The hero joins ‘The Hero’s Guild’ and trains to become a champion. The hero begins a journey to find out why his family were killed and eventually a friend tells him that there is a blind seeress in a bandit camp nearby who may be able to help. So the hero travels to find her and discovers that it is his sister and that she was taken by the bandit leader who the hero challenges.  The hero can choose to let him live or kill him which marks the beginning of his choice of alignment.

When the hero is stronger he is invited to a battle arena where he meets Jack of Blades who challenges the hero to fight Whisper, a friend and rival. He then has to decide whether to kill or spare his friend.

The hero discovers that Jack of Blades is the one who killed his family and the whole of Oakvale (the hero’s childhood home). The hero tracks down his mother who has been a prisoner of Jack of Blades since ever since.  The hero is captured and when he escapes and takes his mother the hero once again searches for Jack. The hero’s friend is revealed to be a traitor and kidnaps the hero’s sister when the hero defeats his friend he gets to fight Jack where is mother is killed.

It is discovered that the hero and his sister are the only remaining decedents of the king and so the only ones who can wield the sword. After killing Jack the hero can either keep the sword and kill his sister or cast away the sword (it’s kind of like Achilles’ decision in mythology where he had to decide between living a short and heroic life or a long and boring one).

There are 4 possible endings, you must decide.

There is a special edition where the story continues but I will leave you to discover that.

Have fun.

Btw this is a great game and I give it high ratings GGGGGGGGG (9/10 gamer points) because it is original and has interesting interpretation of storyline.

Titus' Guide to Yu-Gi-Oh

Hey guys, another post from me, Titus. Today I bring you news of great excitement. I have very recently expanded my Yu-Gi-Oh deck.

I’ve had a deck for years and years and years but I had no one to play it with. Within the last year I have taught Valhalla to play and now I play at school in any spare time. Well, last week it was my birthday and my awesome work colleagues, when my cousin came in to the store looking for a present for me, directed her to the Yu-Gi-Oh cards. The exchange went something like this:

“Hi. I’m the cousin of one of your colleagues. It is his Birthday and I need a present for him.” My colleagues all pointed at this tin of Yu-Gi-Oh cards that I have been going on about for weeks. In fact about a month ago my manager put me in charge of the trading card section because he had no idea what it was. Anyway, the point is I now have an even more awe-inspiring deck (Valhalla refuses to fight me because I keep defeating him).

I thought it would be exciting to explain to you how the game works and so you can have some fun with it too.

First of all you need to know the origin of the game. You all remember Pokemon? Digimon? Well this is similar in the sense that the player fights battles using cards which represent monsters he/she controls, sometimes using trap cards and spells cards to aid or revive your monsters, sometimes even to destroy your opponents, sending them to the graveyard.

The Layout is simple (beginners, I suggest using a mat). You are allowed 5 monsters on the field at one time, this includes attack position and defence position and you can have 5 spell or trap cards face down on the field at one time. You have a deck zone, a field zone, for field cards, a graveyard and an extra deck zone.

There are different types of summoning for a monster. Normal summoning is simply placing a card from your hand in attack or defence position. Special summoning is done using a card effect, the card must be placed in face up defence or attack mode unless the card specifies otherwise. Synchro summoning means that you must add the levels of a tuner monster an a non tuner monster to summon one that is the exact same level and finally fusion summoning requires a card that allows it e.g Polymerization.

Monster levels

Levels are represented by the stars under the name on the right hand side of the card.

Level 1-4 monsters require no special summon unless specified.

Level 5-6 monsters require a tribute of one monster from your field.

Level 7 + monsters require a two monster tribute from your field.

Monster types

Blue - Ritual Monster. Summoned by a ritual spell card eg Black Luster Soldier requires Black Luster Ritual

White - Synchro Monster. Kept in the Extra deck and can only be summoned by synchro summoning from deck.

Orange - Effect Monster, specified in description at bottom.

Yellow - Normal Monster. No effect.

Purple - Fusion Monster. Kept in Extra deck and usually can only be summoned through fusion summon, specified on card in description.

Gemini Monster – Once already on the field you use your normal summon turn to re summon them. It will have an effect as long as it is on the field.

Tuner Monster – Allows for synchro summoning.

Spell and Trap Cards

There are many types of spell card. You can play as many as you want per turn.

Normal Spell – placed in spell/trap card zone and can only be played during your turn.

Field Spell – placed in Field card zone can only be played during your turn until destroyed.

Equip Spell – (pretty self explanatory) played from spell/trap card zone, equipped to chosen monster, stays there until monster is destroyed.

Quick Play Spells – Goes in spell/trap card zone or can be used during your turn from your hand. Cannot be used the same turn it is set. Can be used as a trap fro opposition. It stays on field unless specified otherwise.

Ritual Spells – (also pretty self explanatory, also pre-mentioned) specific cards used to summon specific monsters. Can only summon a monster from hand unless specified otherwise. Normally requires tribute.

Continuous Spells – played from spell/trap card zone. Stays on field until specified otherwise.

Normal Trap – Goes to graveyard once used.

Counter Trap – Goes to graveyard once used. Nothing can be chained to it except another trap.

Continuous Trap – Stays on field until destroyed.

Quick Guide to Battle

Phases

Standby – for cards that activate specifically in standby phase.

Draw – Solely for your once per turn mandatory draw.

Main – summon, set, activate cards.

Battle – Any attack position monsters on your side of the field may attack.

Main 2 – Same as ‘Main’.

End – You declare that you end your turn.

Damage

Attacking attack monster

If the attack of your attacking monster is greater than the opponents that is being attacked then the opponent takes the remaining points as Life Point Damage and the monster is usually destroyed.

If the attack of your attacking monster is equal to the opponents that is being attacked then both monsters are destroyed.

Attacking a defence monster

If the attack of your attacking monster is equal to that of the opponents defence then neither monster is destroyed.

If the attack of your attacking monster is greater than that of the opponents defence, the defence monster is destroyed and no damage is taken.

I’ve spent many hours playing this game and I rate I give it GGGGGGGG (8/10 gamer points) because It’s only as good as your imagination (I have a pretty awesome imagination).

GOOD LUCK and have fun!

Valhalla's struggle

I've had Skyrim for a week and a day, but due to ridiculous amounts of work and my part time job there has been little time to actually sit down and play. So, in the time that I had this evening I figured I deserved a little bit of Dragon action and sat down, milk and biscuits in hand, and my helmet firmly on my head ready to resume my epic adventure.

Even the mightiest warriors need calcium

Once logged onto my game I remembered the difficulty I was having with the gate in Bleak Falls Temple. As I took a moment to think, I realized that my plan had been to visit the path some way back through the cave. Eager to pass the gate, I set on my way. It was easy enough to get there, everything was dead after all. Once I found the path I started to travel down it, only to realize that it led to a dead end. Already frustrated, I was feeling pretty lost in this place. However, I'm a determined Wood Elf and there was no way I was going to give up quickly. So, I made my way back to the gate that cannot be shifted and decided to take a considerably long moment to try and figure it out. That moment went on for longer than it should have, and in the end I had no choice but to reach for my phone to find out what I should do. The answer was right there, so simple and yet ever so confusing. I could have slapped my forehead at that moment. Turns out that I had to shift some scared stones into a certain combination in order to be able to lift the gate. To do this, I needed to look up at the other symbols. Really not that hard.

Snake...Snake...NOOOO, not fish! Not fish!

I was finally through. I looted some nice little chests, slaughtered a few dog-sized rats (they're really quite terrifying) and made my way down a twisty-turney spiral staircase...which I fell down. Once I had landed safely at the bottom of the stairs I kept going forward, looking for the next passage, which I found. I tried to run through the doorway, but some invisible force blocked me from going any further. I tried running into it a few times, but to no avail. Eventually, I got fed up with this forcefield and ended up hacking at it with my mace. Yes, something happened. Turned out it was cobwebs. Webs can only mean one thing, and as I entered my fears were answered.

Sweet mother of...

She was massive. I felt like Frodo trapped in Shelobs lair, except I had no magic elf light to save me. Look at me, an elf who can't use magic. Well, I can but I get confused. Despite being overcome with fear at the sight of this monster I ran straight into her and began hacking and slicing my way through her flesh. Turned out the fight wasn't hard at all. She was dead within seconds. I felt a little pleased with myself there. Once she was dead and checked for decent loot, I came across a man tangled in a web. I can't remember his name, and to be honest he was a real jerk so it doesn't matter that much. Turns out he had the Golden Claw that I was looking for and needed me to cut him down. Foolishly, I agreed to free him and the bastard made off with the loot I needed.

Luckily for me, the idiot was killed my some Skeleton Warriors...but so was I. Actually, I was killed by them about three or four times before I remembered that there was an ultra powerful spell in my bag which I used to burn and destroy them all at once. I felt incredibly powerful (evil laugh). After I killed those guys I had to continue on my journey to find that which I sought (being the dragonstone) and so I made my way through the crypt. Gave me the creeps, really did. It was like the undead would never end. They just kept after me, dragging their bony, rag covered corpses towards me with iron shields and weapons in their hands. Thankfully those weapons weren't blunt seeing as Skeleton Warriors do more damage with blunt swords. I eventually managed to cut my way through the jungle of living corpses, and I was thoroughly creeped out by the whole experience.

Take that!

My corpse. I look noble, even in death

Totally owning this guy

Once I had left the land of the undead and reached the world of glowing mushrooms I happened upon a manky looking chest and decided to check it out. My heart leapt with joy at what I saw before me. My very own horned helmet! Now me and my character match, and that's a pretty awesome thing. I continued on, making my way through the narrow tunnels until I reached a door that required a picture combination similar to the one before, except this door contained pictures of bears, butterflies and birds. It didn't look too hard to figure out, and once I had arranged the symbols it told me that I needed to have the Golden Claw. I thought I had this, turns out I didn't. Much to my irritation I had to go all the way back through the crypt where the now dead undead were scattered and loot the corpse of the guy who tried to run away earlier. I was not impressed. It seemed to take ages for me to get to the corpse I had to loot, especially as I was whimpering and moaning to myself about how creepy the place was. My eyes were practically closed. I'm a little cowardly when it comes to Skeleton Warriors.

I like this place. I thought I'd just insert it here to detract from Skeleton Warrior fear

I got there, I looted the Golden Claw, and after glaring at the body of the man who had initially refused to give it to me, I made my way back to the door with the bears, birds and butterflies. Once there, I rearranged the pictures to the correct combination and watched as the door opened before me, revealing yet another passage. As I ran through a great hall, I thought the quest was finished and so proceeded to jump down from a ledge and return to Skyrim. Yeah, bad idea. Really big mistake there. I wasn't finished, I really needed to go back. Of course, I only realized this when I was lost half way around the mountain. Luckily, I came across some hostile humans and stood there whilst they hacked at my face and torso with their swords and maces. Once dead, I was returned to the exit point and simply walked back inside the mountain.

Wrong combination. Hmmm

Aha!

Now, It's thought to be impossible to get back up and into that great and magnificent hall from the exit point as it's surrounded by high ledges. In fact, it clearly states that you have no choice but to return to the start. I was not going to accept this. It took skill, but I managed to jump up the rocks on the left side and return to the hall from there. This time I took a lot more time to look around until I found the inscriptions on the wall which gave me the power of the dragon shout. As this occurred, an undead dragon-woman-warrior thing jumped out of the coffin behind me. I killed her pretty quickly and looted her, thus receiving the dragonstone and finishing my quest. Now I could use the exit.

I was back on the mountain, the cold and snow filled wind obscuring my vision. I hurriedly made my way back to Whiterun where I handed my quest in to that mysterious yet slightly creepy wizard. As I forgot to plug my headset in, I had no volume, so whatever the wizard was talking about, I missed. Something big happened though as everyone began to race up the stairs. Intrigued, I followed until we reached an older man who began to talk. I missed most of what he said, but when I finally figured out the subtitles I saw that I was to slay my first Dragon along with the evil chick who had blocked my path to the King not so long ago. You have no idea how excited I was about actually slaying my first Dragon. I was like a child who had been told the wonders of sweets for the first time.

Looking at my watch to see that it was past 23:00, I realized that I would not be able to slay a dragon tonight. Disappointment filled me. More than I have ever felt in my life. Dragon slaying will have to wait until next update, so do keep watch for it. After all, slaying your first Dragon is something to share with everyone.

Valhalla

Weekend specials

The following post is brought to you by Titus Proxima. As Titus is away, I have had to post it for him. It would have been up on Thursday, but we had some issues that prevented it. As we missed Thursday, we'll be giving you a weekend special. This Saturday post has been fully written by Titus, and tomorrow's post will be written by me and will be an update on one of the many games I play.

Hey guys, we’re a little short on time today so we will try and make this quick but exciting.

Today we want to tell you all about something we are greatly fond of, this would be ‘Castles and Crusades’, a table-top RPG which has demanded many hours of our ill-managed study time.

‘Castles and Crusades’ was introduced to me, Titus Proxima, by Valhalla who in turn was introduced to it by his Uncle who, in-fact, knows the creator (pretty exciting stuff).

It involves all the best bits of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ but with all the added awesomeness.

I will begin its description the way I was introduced to it.

We excitedly gathered around a table in the school library, Valhalla, my-self and our friend and gaming companion, Kate. All grinning enthusiastically down at an A4 sized sheet of yellow paper whilst our friendly librarian looked on with amusement gleaming in her practiced eyes. Valhalla chuckled knowingly whilst my-self and Kate jigged with ignorant eagerness.

Valhalla swiped up the paper and stalked to his bag from which he drew books and papers and dice. And our excitement ever increased. Joining us, once more, at the table, Valhalla commanded us ‘sit’, and, as any self-respecting gamer does, we sat. Hands on the table, leaning forward as a child does to their story teller (which is what the GM basically is) we plunged into a whole new world of adventure and battle.

We began by creating our Avatars(at this point I feel the need to suggest listening to The Guild ‘Do you want to date my Avatar?’ it’s the most awesome song), I was a hobbit and my friend a mixture of god and elf. First we had to create our stats. We rolled countless dice to reach a point where we had 6 numbers which we assigned to 6 attributes depending on our class and race. I chose to have high Charisma, this meant that I was very persuasive and if I took my hood off people fainted at the sight of my beauty. My Wisdom was average as was my Intelligence, My dexterity somewhat low (I tried to keep it as real as possible) and my Strength was pretty good as was my constitution meaning that I had a good resistance to poison and was able to heal quickly.

We begun our story in The Severed Head Inn (Valhalla is very creative when it comes to naming places, there was another Inn called The Kings Cleavage, don’t ask why) where we encountered a hooded figure who was going on a quest and needed our help.

Our job was to investigate a Wizard who had been killing villagers and raising them from the dead to create an un-dead army for himself. Throughout our quest Valhalla ordered us to call him things like ‘Almighty GM’ or ‘Godly one’, licking GM’s shoes is the only sure way to be ressed when killed as GM decides when monsters attack, when prizes are received, and what exists or doesn’t. Bribes are acceptable to some GM’s (I suggest chocolate, or small gifts or favours) but remember the GM could change his/her mind at any moment.

From this point on Valhalla relentlessly attacked us with hoards of un-dead creatures, from skeleton warriors (fairly easy to kill) to hell hounds (not so easy to kill). But we prevailed despite the odds and with our guide we went to defeat the evil wizard and gain victory over evil.

Not long after this we decided to request permission to begin a C&C club at lunchtimes. It drew more than expected but soon we had a good sized group of regulars whom we tortured and messed with on a weekly basis.

Your Dungeon My Dragon

Your Dungeon My Dragon by Adam de la Pena

Hi guys, this isn’t a game but technically we do all things geeky and if this isn’t geeky then nothing is.

This is an online animated series about 2 Guilds, one good and one evil, who are constantly at war with each other. It’s funny, geeky, and it has a trouser-less Dwarf in the first episode (All very good reasons to watch it.). So far only the first episode is available to us but there are interactive games for you to enjoy in the mean time (if you have Windows Internet Explorer 9).

I think I will provide you with a character list

First and favourite of mine:

Kill the Brobarian. Kill is part bro(lover of partying, girls and things that make him Hench) and part Barbarian(we all know what a Barbarian is but for those who don’t, they like swords, storming castles and wearing very little, he keeps his sword in his loin cloth). He lives by the Philosophy ‘Strong and Wrong’ which I think tells you all you need to know about him.

Next is Hork. Hork is the trouser-less Dwarf I was telling you about, he spends a lot of time looking for them. He is a professional wanderer (or as we would call him today, hobo). He isn’t terribly bright but he can change in to various animals for short periods of time.

Amy the Enchantress is the most powerful member. Most dudes are scared of her, which is just how she likes it. She has a bit of a thing for Kill despite their constant bickering.

Haro is an Archer Elf with an Afro. He fights with a Golden Bow but he is also a bit of a ladies’ man. He is the brains of the operation and the one who keeps them all alive.

Devious Most Evilest (My favourite villain). Devious is half Dracula and half Warlock, how is that possible you ask? Well his father is Count Dracula and is mother is supposedly of one of the very rare female warlocks. He supplies his Coven of Evil with Mission Statements and such that help him keep control. But don’t all villains secretly have a dream? Devious does. He wants to start a Hip-hop/rock fusion band. Really he just wants to have fun.

This is ‘I’m just a Skeleton’. Skeleton wants to raise his status but is often getting into trouble. He has nothing especially interesting about him, other than being able to drive a car.

Krog is made of Brimstone and bad ideas. He does what he is told as he is the muscle of the group. He wants a girlfriend (Amy if possible) but he isn’t very good with the ladies (and Amy never returns his calls).

There is also Zonkie. Can you guess what he is? Yes, a Zombie/Donkey.

Here is the link because I know how much you guys want it.

http://ydmd.msn.com/BehindTheScenes/1

I wish I could give you more information but sadly none is availiable at the moment.

Valhalla's adventures in Skyrim

Valhalla's awesome Skyrim hat. Yeah, totally awesome

Yesterday, before work, I picked up my own copy of Skyrim on PC so that I could play it all day today. That plan didn’t quite work as I accepted an all day shift and so was only able to play tonight (which is alright as work is enjoyable). Sadly, I didn’t get to play the Elder Scrolls games as they came out and only bought Oblivion on Wednesday – making me the n00b in this fantastic world. I will post relatively frequently about my epic adventures in Skyrim and my progression through the game (hopefully Titus will be joining in with this) so that you can enjoy the game with me. I’ve been taking screen shots like a psychotic Orc Berserker.

When I got home I was quick to start up my gaming laptop and get the game installed. You see, at work today a very tall man came and complained to my colleague and me about how Skyrim for PC had to be downloaded through Steam and because of this it took five hours to install. Upon hearing this I was afraid I wouldn’t get a post up tonight, but had this been the case you wouldn’t be reading this right now. For me, it took under twenty minutes to fully install through Steam and so I was more than pleased with this. Finally, my epic journey could begin...

Prisoner

I started out in a bumpy wooden cart on my way to an unknown destination. All around me was frightened chatter and something about an execution (everyone around me (in real life) was talking, it was hard to hear). I was mildly curious as to what the people in the cart were talking about but was more interested in my surroundings and looking out for our destination. After a short while I saw it right in front of me and already knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant. Helgen wasn’t the most reassuring of names either.

Once the carriage stopped in the little town, me and the other prisoners on the cart were forced off and made to line up so that our names could be called. Apparently, all these guys were rebels and I had managed to get mixed in with the wrong crowd. My name wasn’t called and so I was forced to introduce myself (no opportunity to do an Odysseus and call myself No-one). Here, I created my character, Kirith the Wood Elf, and even though my name wasn’t on the list that evil chick in the shiny armour wanted me dead. She’s racist towards Elves, I know it.

First guy down

One of my fellow prisoners was beheaded, and it was as I was shoved onto the chopping block that a massive dragon appeared from nowhere, sweeping through the skies and destroying all in its path. That saved my life. Totally freaked by the appearance of this beast I was quick to scurry to my feet, only to be met by Hadvar, the soldier who didn’t want me to die. 

Telling me to follow him the two of us began a journey underground in order to escape the dragon. We came across a few twists and turns, some nasty enemies and some decent weaponry – the journey was a breeze. The slow-mo combat when you give a critical hit is quite epic, I must say. I frequently got lost and fell off mini bridges as I kept forgetting which controls to use, and it was rather comical and I’m sure Hadvar must have been irritated by how slow I was...

We made our way back to the surface of Skyrim in good time, despite the various accidents, and my new friend led me along the cobbled path towards our next destination – Riverwood. There, we met the Smithy, Alvor, who was warm and welcoming towards me and Hadvar (I figure they’re good friends). We told him about the dragon that had started destroying everything, and how it was making its way towards Riverwood. Shocked and afraid, Alvor asked me to go to Whiterun where I should speak with the Jarl and request that he send troops to Riverwood for protection. I agreed (as I’m a helpful Elf), and bought a bunch of supplies from the smithy. On top of this, Hadvar told me that I should join the Imperial Legion, despite the fact that they attempted to kill me. As he had helped to save my life I told him I would think about it (I’ll be taking a different route).

On my own

So, Hadvar decided not to continue travelling with me – obviously feasting with the Smithy and his family was far more interesting than my Epic quest – and so I was forced to continue my journey alone. With my iron mace strapped to my back and my nice, thick leather armour clinging to my body I marched on to Whiterun, eager to complete my quest. I didn’t encounter many enemies along the way, a couple of wild animals, but that was about it. I was feeling pretty powerful by this point.

It wasn’t long before I arrived at the outskirts of Whiterun, the stables standing alone before me. As I crept towards it, a horse stood out of its stall, just begging for me to steal it. But no, I am a righteous Elf and respect the law, so I left it alone. Instead, I broke into the stable house and was arrested by the guard (went back on my own word there). Yeah, smart move for me. Being a bit of a wimp when it come to dirty prison cells (we Elves are very clean), I decided to pay my bounty instead of do my time. Thank the gods I had enough coin. I decided it was best not to break into houses anymore.

Once the guard let me go, I set out to find the Jarl in his mighty palace. It wasn’t hard to find (cough) as he was right on top of a hill. Barging through his doors, I was unimpressed by the woman who decided to confront me, demanding that I tell her what I had been asked to tell the Jarl. I avoided her questions until she relented and allowed me to pass. Once I was in front of the Jarl I told him everything that had happened, and he was eager to send troops to Riverwood to protect them from the dragon. Once I was done with him, I was sent to see his sorcerer in the other room so that I could help him learn more about dragons. He asked me to retrieve the dragon stone from the mountains nearby. I decided to go, even though the horse and carriage wouldn’t take me and I had no money to buy a horse.

I made my way up the mountain, cursing and grumbling about the weather, until I reached a little settlement filled with angry bandits. Irritated by their determination to kill me, I proceeded to slaughter them relentlessly, ensuring that they were all satisfactorily dead. Serves them right for attempting to slay me. It was then that I caught sight of my destination, where the dragon stone was kept.

Bleak Falls Temple...the beginning

I’m tired tonight; I didn’t have the energy to go any further than I did. So, I’m splitting this bit into two parts, and you’ll find out what happened next Skyrim update.

After slaying the bandits, I entered the Bleak Falls Temple where I knew the dragon stone was. There were quite a few bandits in there, but I had no trouble taking care of them. After all, I’m a strong and powerful Wood Elf who so far hasn’t died once (I’m just that good).

I made my way through the long and winding tunnel that led to my loot. I followed the map and my instinct towards what I thought was where I was supposed to be. I was wrong. I reached a small room with a portcullis-type gate and a lever just before it. After killing the single guy in the room, I pulled the lever to see what would happen. Shards of light rushed past me, but nothing else occurred. Confused, I messed around with the stones in the room and still, nothing happened. By this point I was becoming irritated, especially as my brain was tired and so I took a moment to retrace my footsteps. A while back there had been an extra path, it looked like I would have to turn around and go that way rather than have an easy route. Which is fine, tomorrow I’ll be adventuring again and back to the path I previously ignored.

There’s still a long way to go in the temple and so I’ll be sure to tell you what happens next as I continue on my quest to find the dragon stone. I’m not rushing through this game, I plan to enjoy it. It deserves thorough enjoyment and to be taken at a steady pace.

Have any of you guys played Skyrim yet? If so, tell us what you think so far. Just to let you know, if you want to send in a video sharing your thoughts on any game for our YouTube channel then feel free to send them in at titusvalhalla@gmail.com.

Below, are a few places where you can buy Skyrim if you don’t already own a copy.

Skyrim - GAME

Skyrim - Amazon

Skyrim - Play.com