[X] My Assistant

[Wesley Street]

Book update: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody (the writer of Juno). The life and times of an unlikely stripper. It's quite funny and informative for those of us who have never had the guts/desire to actually step foot in a strip club. It contrasts the sleazy side of the entertainment industry with the lives of "average" women. Some of the rules that the dancers are required to follow (depending on the club) are hilarious. Parts of the story are also quite sad though Cody is such a smart-ass in her writing you can't help but feel some sense of contempt. It's a quick read and I knocked out about 1/5th of the book in a night so I'd recommend it if you're stuck for street-level Shadowrun inspiration.

[Wesley Street]

Movie Update: Saw Watchmen on Saturday. I highly recommend it if you were on the fence about seeing it. It was extremely faithful to the graphic novel which is the highest praise I can offer to any movie based on a comic book. I threw up the devil horns when Ozymandias tossed out his "I did it thirty-five minutes ago" line. The ultra-slow motion opening montage of how the superheroes in this parallel timeline had affected popular culture, such as a Nite Owl painting at an Andy Warhol party and Ozy hanging out at Studio 54, was very cool.

[pbangarth]

Just watched last night a 2006 French movie, Tell No One. A mystery that leaves you scratching your head sometimes, but it has a shadow team working for the main villain, and the hero survives because of a HIGH loyalty, gang-leader contact.

[Freejack]

Reading:

- Recently finished The Night Angel trilogy (Brent Weeks) and it was actually pretty good. It stayed interesting through all three books.
- Recently finished four of the recent MYTH books. The Robert Asprin books are still great reading. The newer two not so much. There's just some spark missing.
- Recently finished The Gladiator by Harry Turtledove. While it's a Teen oriented book, it's still a great story. Crosstime Traffic novel about a timeline where the USSR won the cold war.
- Currently reading The Watchmen graphic novel.
- Currently reading Deadlands Reloaded.

Watching:

- The Sopranos from the first show. I have them ripped so while I'm mucking about with programming, it's playing on my Mac.

Playing:

- Just had to shut down a Shadowrun 4th game. Only two people were coming out and they're playing in my Sunday game.
- GMing a Shadowrun 4th game on alternate Sundays.
- Organizing a Wings of War at work game twice a week.
- Investigating a Wings of War game at a FLGS that I discovered last week.
- Starcraft Broodwar. I thought I'd finished it but now I'm seeing that I only finished the Protoss missions. So I'm at the tail end of the Terran ones and getting ready to run the Zerg side.
- Bioshock. Only when I'm stuck in Starcraft though.

Carl

[Wesley Street]

The Sopranos from the first show. I have them ripped so while I'm mucking about with programming, it's playing on my Mac.

I did this and had to stop because James Gandolfini was showing up in my dreams and scaring me!

Book Update: Black Shirt: Sir Oswald Mosley and the British Fascism by Stephen Dorril. It's a history on the British Union of Fascists and the crackpots who supported Mosley in his rise to power. In a similar vein, I'm also working through Among the Thugs by Bill Buford, a book on modern British street thugs. I want to make London a cool Shadowrun campaign setting again (I mean, come on, it was the second SR setting released but it was never used in any published adventures!) so I'm doing some research on its recent, seedy history.

Playing: Gears of War... the first one. I've never played it before and I typically only buy used games. Anyway, fairly enjoyable. Can be frustrating at first but once you get the hang of using cover, blind fire, and conserving ammo its great fun. The Akira-esque Hammer of Dawn satellite laser system is a hoot to use on "grubs."

[paws2sky]

Movie Update: Saw Watchmen on Saturday. I highly recommend it if you were on the fence about seeing it. It was extremely faithful to the graphic novel which is the highest praise I can offer to any movie based on a comic book. I threw up the devil horns when Ozymandias tossed out his "I did it thirty-five minutes ago" line. The ultra-slow motion opening montage of how the superheroes in this parallel timeline had affected popular culture, such as a Nite Owl painting at an Andy Warhol party and Ozy hanging out at Studio 54, was very cool.

Agreed. I didn't care much for the book (yes, I'm a heretic, I know), but I think it works as a movie. I went with two fan boys and a girl who'd never read the book and we all agreed it was very good. Probably the least kid-friendly movie I've seen in a few years though.

-paws

[Bai Shen]

- Currently reading Deadlands Reloaded.

- Organizing a Wings of War at work game twice a week.

Is that referring to the Deadlands RPG? And what's Wings of War?

[Wesley Street]

Wings of War.

[Freejack]

Is that referring to the Deadlands RPG? And what's Wings of War?

Yes. I'm a fan of western themed RPGs and horror in addition to Cyberpunk. I've seen several good reviews of it over on RPG.net so when I saw it in the local Black and Read (big used book store in the area), I looked it over and picked it up. It does look interesting so now I'm trying to figure out which Savage Worlds core book I need.

I started out back in the 70's as a war gamer, playing Wooden Ships & Iron Men and Richthofen's War among others. So when I spotted Wings of War in my FLGS, I picked up one.

Wings of War is a simple World War I air combat game. Each plane has three attributes; maneuver deck (A-P), damage deck (A and/or B), and damage points. The maneuver deck is used to, well maneuver your plane. You select a card and everyone places theirs in front of the plane then move the plane to the arrow on the card. Some planes like the Fokker Dr.1 take advantage of engine torque so you can turn sharper. The A damage deck is for planes with dual machine guns and B is for single, generally older planes. When you are close enough, your opponent draws from the damage deck associated with your plane.

There are three boxed sets plus one for WWII and four additional card decks (plus two for WWII). There are also 36 pre-painted miniature planes. One set of 12 that represent planes in each of the boxed sets. Each plane comes with four posts (for altitude), a plastic base with the same markings as the card, and a maneuver deck for the plane. I currently have 9 of the miniatures. We're playing it at work. It takes about 45 minutes to play a game so it works well for a quick lunch time Team Building exercise (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, you did ask (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Carl

[Synner667]

Currently Reading - Altered Carbon [Richard Morgan]. The 1st part of the Takeshi Kovachs trilogy is a violent, noir, cyberpunk set in the 26th century. Highly recommended !!

[Wesley Street]

The first sequel novel is nothing like it. Broken Angels is good (as I'm reading it right now) but the Blade Runner riffs are gone and have been replaced with Soldier/Starship Trooper homages.

Also Reading/Just Read

- Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh
- Yakuza Diary: Doing Time in the Japanese Underworld by Christopher Seymour

Playing/Just Played

- finally completed the first Gears of War
- currently playing Ninja Gaiden II on Warrior Mode. Hard as hell!
- Waiting for my measly $100 federal refund so I can purchase Twilight Imperium, Third Edition and the Expansion Pack.

Watching

- History of Britain - the Simon Schama documentary from the early '00s. Just finished his American Future series and enjoyed it.
- Will probably start watching The Tudors on DVD with the fiancee.

[PBTHHHHT]

Currently Reading - Altered Carbon [Richard Morgan]. The 1st part of the Takeshi Kovachs trilogy is a violent, noir, cyberpunk set in the 26th century. Highly recommended !!

I enjoyed the first novel. I just couldn't get very far into the second one.

[Wesley Street]

Reading

- I'm still working my way through Broken Angels. I've got a lot of other books on my plate and this one has been on the back burner. Anyway, at first I thought it wasn't (post)cyberpunk-y, like Altered Carbon because it wasn't a Blade Runner knock-off, but the further I get into it the more I realize it absolutely is. I loved the Soul Market scene where the protagonist and his corporate backer bargain shop for cortical stacks of deceased soldiers. Big piles of computer chips containing the memories and the personalities of the recently-deceased... being tossed into buckets with snow shovels.
- If Kenichi Sonoda is wrong, I don't want to be right. Dark Horse's Revised Gunsmith Cats editions offer up a lot of great comics for your buck. GC is manga done right: hyper-detailed settings and objects with simplified but memorable characters. A lot of the newer manga I've seen looks like it was cranked out over a weekend. Most of the panels don't even have backgrounds! Japanese people aren't supposed to be lazy! That's Rob Liefeld and Pat Lee's job!
- I picked up PDFs of WH40K: Dark Heresey, D20 Modern, and Twilight 2013. Reading them. Interesting. D20 Modern has some gorgeous artwork. But I don't want to play it.

Playing

- I test-drove Twilight Imperium 3rd ed. for the first time last Friday. It took a long time to set up but I eventually got the hang of it. It's not a terribly easy game to grasp but it's easy to get the generalities after you've played a few rounds.
- I'm about 90% through Mercenaries 2. This game engine is glitchy as fuck, I think there's too much going on in the game for the XBox 360 processor. I don't think I would recommend it to a casual gamer but it's been relatively fun to play.
- Mirror's Edge and Ninja Gaiden 2... arrrgh, I hate you SO MUCH right now! You don't even return my calls.

Watching

- saw Star Trek. As a long-time Trekkie I have to say I loooooved it.
- watched City of Men on DVD. Sort of a sequel to the Brazilian film City of God. If you want a good representation of what life in the Seattle Barrens is like, check out anything to do with the Rio favelas. Dangerous, heart-breaking and gorgeous. Also recommend BOPE and it's exploration of the corrupt and violent world of the Brazilian national police.

[Synner667]

Reading

- I'm still working my way through Broken Angels. I've got a lot of other books on my plate and this one has been on the back burner. Anyway, at first I thought it wasn't (post)cyberpunk-y, like Altered Carbon because it wasn't a Blade Runner knock-off, but the further I get into it the more I realize it absolutely is. I loved the Soul Market scene where the protagonist and his corporate backer bargain shop for cortical stacks of deceased soldiers. Big piles of computer chips containing the memories and the personalities of the recently-deceased... being tossed into buckets with snow shovels.

If you like that kinda thing, have a read of Peter F Hamilton's Mindstar trilogy or Neil Asher's Polity books.

Market Forces by Richard Morgan is interesting - British cyberpunk from the Corporate viewpoint.

[Synner667]

Reading.
Legend [David Gemmel] - axe wielding fantasy hero Druss inspires his men and stands for his beliefs like a stubborn rock, while they defend a castle against overwhelming odds. Gotta love it !!

Watching.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - heard much about it, and finally wading through. Well realised future world, viable for cyberpunk, post-cyberpunk, tech noir or just anything set in the future. Some great ideas.

[Wesley Street]

Market Forces by Richard Morgan is interesting - British cyberpunk from the Corporate viewpoint.

That's on my "to read" list.

[Bert]

Reading
Currently... Sustainability and Design. College man, it can be tough.
For fun I've been reading World War Z, Jennifer Government (fun read) and re-reading 1984.

Watching
Watched "Leon The Professional" for the first time recently. Great movie... also, check out "Eastern Promises" for some incite into the Russian Mob.

Playing
Saints Row 2 (X-Box 360) good ol' fashioned violent fun. Blitz The League II also falls into this catagory. On the PC I've been playing NWN I. Haven't played it before (I know... I know...I'm behind the times a little, what can I say).

[Demonseed Elite]

Reading

I'm currently reading A Clash of Kings, the second book in the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin. Now that HBO is working on a television series based on these books, I figured I should read them. And I'm really liking them.

Watching

I'm burning through the entire five-season run of The Wire right now on DVD. I'm on Season Four now. What a great show for demonstrating the depth of crime and corruption in a modern city.

[Wesley Street]

If you can find it, check out The Corner. It's sort of an unofficial prequel to The Wire but it's also based on David Simon's non-fiction book with the same title.

And just for giggles, The Wire with a laugh track.

[Hatspur]

Reading: A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. It is essentially an incredibly in-depth dark read chronicling American labor uprisings, women's rights, wars, slavery, and anything else most textbooks gloss over. I am halfway through and want to die, but I have definitely learned a thing or two.

Will be reading: In September (hopefully since the new RPG just came out) I will be glued to Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin. Yes I am aware they put the book on pre-order every year and then fail to release it, but I have to believe in it.

Watching: BASEketball by Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Playing:
-FIFA 07
-F-Zero-X
-Mount & Blade

-Finished a 6 month long Star Wars d20 game last Friday
-Starting a Calradia game using the SIFRP game by Green Ronin Publishing

[paws2sky]

Reading: Currently re-reading Bad Voltage. Its been several years since I really sat down with this book and I'm flipping out about the little references I missed in previous readings. At one point, a character mentions he bought some data from "an old jockey named Case." (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif)

Watching: Animaniacs. My 6 year old discovered this show and has been mildly obsessed with it for the past couple of weeks. I'd forgotten how... bold it was. There's definitely some adult-level humor in there. Its amazing what slips past censors...

Playing:

• Team Fortress 2, when the mood strikes (been doing a lot of Arena matches lately). Kind of jazzed about the Sniper and Spy update, though I'm terrible with both of those classes. The concept of a Payload Race seems cool.
• GMing Shadowrun
• Doing a PBEM play test of a Beyond The Supernatural adventure.
• Hoping to get to play in a face-to-face PnP RPG someday.

[SincereAgape]

Reading 2XS - Nigel Findley. Recently went to a Barnes and Noble which had a sales annex and picked up about 15 classic Shadowrun novels. Never Trust an Elf, House of the Sun, Nosferatu, Streets of Blood, 2xs, etc and hope to knock them out. Reading books. Why spend money on entertainment when you can pick up a used book for 3.00 and get hours of entertainment from it?

Watching Despie hating Star Trek, I saw the movie this weekend and have to admit the movie sold me on the franchise. JJ Abrams did a masterful job with the cast, script, plot, and action. Highly recommending this movie.

[PBTHHHHT]

Playing:
[list]
[*]Team Fortress 2, when the mood strikes (been doing a lot of Arena matches lately). Kind of jazzed about the Sniper and Spy update, though I'm terrible with both of those classes. The concept of a Payload Race seems cool.

Hey, on what platform do you play?
I mainly play on the pc version, so any of y'all on forums play, my username is vallaugh. More of a fan of the control points and the payload maps. Mainly on the Doorman is God, Trashed Gamers, and No Heroes servers.

[paws2sky]

I'm a PC guy. I jump around a lot, don't have a particular favorite clan or server. Anything with <100 latency. Tend to avoid custom maps.

-paws

current screen name: Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
(Its a running joke with a couple of my buddies. We all have Ghostbuster themed names right now... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif) )

[Kanada Ten]

Reading - The Crazed by Ha Jin, for lovers of The Plague. Inversions by Iain M Banks, which was brilliant. I've started The Posionwood Bible by Kingsolver, and I'll probably read the copy of Inez by Carlos Fuentes we have laying around.

Playing - Boom Blox, um yeah, it's an amazing family game.