I don’t think that I’m good enough at Smash Bros. to even notice the changes. I had a similar experience to SN when playing online: destroyed repeatedly.
After playing a bunch of online games, I think I am the only person on staff who maintains a perfect 100% win record.
I have therefore decided not to play online anymore. Quit whilst one’s ahead.

This episode with Claudia can only go one way. Poorly.
Now what makes you think that?

If you’ve played Risk then you understand the basics of how this game works.
That one game lasts for a thousand years? It’s the boardgame equivalent of Civilisation, which only differs in that a single game of civilisation lasts until the end of time.

add stickers to the board
If these are adhesive stickers I don’t see them having much longevity. Magnets would be better.

These changes remain on the board for all future games, customizing your board forever.
Great. So if I play one game with Bup, then I have to live with Fartstown and Shitsville and the Kingdom of Butts in all future games.

Anyone know where I might be able read some solid info on this.
I would suggest Law School is a decent place to start. I have a few (actually, several) friends who work in patent law. They make lots of money and never want for work. Which you could probably guess from just looking at the video game industry.

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Upcoming Features
Written Review
-Eternal Sonata

NEWS
Cricket news
None this week :(

Lusiwards
Worst Hardware: Ouya
I was expecting XBone.

Worst Game: AC:Unity

Worst Company: Ubisoft

Game Drawing
Congrats Michael M. and Ethos!

Man buys used PS4, gets box of rocks instead
That’s a real bummer. Lusi is right though: “This is why you don’t buy used consoles”.

FFXV Hired new guy?
Meh. My disinterest remains stubbornly in-place.

No further Smash balance patches
I don’t think that I’m good enough at Smash Bros. to even notice the changes. I had a similar experience to SN when playing online: destroyed repeatedly.

Quantic Dream, something Two Souls
Yawn.

Bup Talk
Worst gaming experience of 2014

Imitanis Literature Corner
Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice
This episode with Claudia can only go one way. Poorly.

Imitanis Gaming Moment
This week my game group finished the first chapter of Mice and Mystics. We defeated the cook’s pet cat by tossing him a piece of catnip, dodged the old crow, and escaped the castle for the time being. Unfortunately, we got a rule wrong and as a result, our thief turned into a whirlwind of blades that just mowed down all opposition. This made our fights much easier. We may end up replaying chapter 1, but I kind of doubt it at this point since it was so frustrating last time.

What I’d like to talk more about is Risk Legacy. If you’ve played Risk then you understand the basics of how this game works. The main difference is that the rules of the game change, permanently, every game. Players can take actions such as playing certain cards to add stickers to the board which make areas easier or harder to defend, winners can add cities to the board to make certain areas more valuable. Cities are also named. These changes remain on the board for all future games, customizing your board forever. There are also packets of additional rules that are opened under certain conditions, and these change the game rules in other ways that I don’t know yet entirely. The one of these that we opened (because a player was eliminated) gave factions new powers if they are eliminated from the game and added mercenary stickers as available to be added to the board to give more troops for certain areas.

So far we’ve played just a single game of the 15 that the game is designed to accommodate, but I think I would recommend it if only for the legacy aspect, which I think more games will implement in the future. If you think having a totally unique experience and making permanent decisions is cool then get it. If destroying and throwing away game components that you chose not to use bothers you, then approach carefully.

DiceAdmiral Travel Moment
Nothing this week.

Final Notes
Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about copyright defense and whether or not a holder had to defend against every claim? I just ran across another example of someone claiming exactly that:

Portland to Sue Pabst over Logo Usage
He cites Hasbro and Monopoly as an example of losing a copyright over not defending it a single time.

I’d love to have some background knowledge on the subject. Anyone know where I might be able read some solid info on this. I’m not even sure what I would search for. Copyright Defense would be a starting point, but how would I narrow it down to just info about the always/never argument presented here?

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Not that I think we should simply roll over and allow that sort of con woman and her SJW cult to do as they please with an industry they don’t really care about, but it is nice to look back at Jack Thompson and remember that at one point, he seemed poised to destroy gaming as we knew it just as she does now. Meaningless in the overall scheme of a free market industry.

I look forward to the announcement of the next reading. If it’s half as enjoyable as this has been, I’ll be happy to listen.

Honestly, I think I am enjoying Interview as much as, if not more than, Confederacy. The latter was at times side-splitting, but there is a malicious, gleefull darkness in the character of Lestat which is tremendously fun withal.

Once this reading is done and we go on long-reading-hiatus for a while, I’ll be asking people to give some considered thought to which readings they liked most/least and why. This will help to guide my next selection.

Glad you’ve enjoy the ‘cast! I thought the outtakes were quite good this week, too.

Your analysis of Dragon Age is spot on. I received it as a gift this Christmas and found the gameplay serviceable, the writing bland, and the quests lifted right out of MMO 101. I do however, enjoy the landscapes -alot- and that has made it worth the effort of trotting around holding down the R2 button.

The Vampire reading remains my favorite so far.

Happy new years gents. Thanks for all the hard work.

I actually think a Money Please: Because We Would Like Some Patreon is a pretty good idea!

We need to name this single Nintendo Employee at this point.

I am great.

I love the description of Julian and his Australian fan.

Also, my live commenting has appeared to bring down the site! I shall switch to Notepad and c/p when it’s back!

Business Division 2 guys would have to wear unicoloured suits. I’m picturing royal purple with a large “2” printed on the back of their jackets.

I think renaming Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Farts is just what that series needs.

Haha, I bet that single Nintendo employee has to program everything on his analog phone too!

Bah-hahaha! I hope that was a slow, long, controlled inhale I heard from Lusipurr as Bup began his BupTalk. This is exactly the right way to dose Bup.

And now, Mel saying “you’re welcome” for 6 hours!

I hope you will read to your future children, Lusipurr!

I’m not sure I have a gaming moment, but I got some PSN money for Christmas and used it to get Disgaea 3 for the Vita. I won’t attempt it just yet, but I am determined to give that series a proper shot! Something will get me into that genre, damn it.

Yes, yes, yes to Lusipurr and the relationship between difficulty, satisfaction, study, and understanding. Also, we agree about Mozart around 100%, it seems. I take my first pass at essentially all art as a primer. I do not trust my first reactions. Sometimes they’re very accurate, but even in those cases, I don’t always know the reasons, and I am completely wrong often enough to not fool myself with overconfidence.

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