February 10, 2013 Sunday Meeting
5pm EST (GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace
Back to News
Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.
Attending: (6)
Arien-(Valar)/AriehnV, ArPharazonV, EonweValar, GwaihirValar, Hamson-(V)/Hamson Gamgee, VardaValar1 (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
Link from Meriadoc-(V)
Poetry by Pippin-(V)
Gaming:
miscelllaneous
WoW
LotRO
Fornost run requested Tuesday around 8pm EST for Beleg-(V)
Tolkien:
Rotating quotes on the News page
Troll travel
Logistics for Aragorn's assault on the Black Gate
Forum story aka RP.
After-meeting:
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Before-meeting:
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
VardaValar1 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Aiya Phar :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
VardaValar1: Ten minutes early, going to try to help Hamson get in the room.
ArPharazonV: Good luck!
VardaValar1: Thanks : )
ArPharazonV: Planting an alt in Felwood to camp a rare minipet, then I'll log out of WoW :-)
VardaValar1: He's downloading. The Legacy is the right one for sure.
VardaValar1: Good luck with the rare!
ArPharazonV: It's the Minfernal... a mini infernal pet that is quite infamous for its rarity
VardaValar1: Nice! Good luck!
GwaihirValar has entered the room.
Eonwe Valar has entered the room.
Eonwe Valar: Heya.
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
VardaValar1: Aiya Gwaihir and Eonwe :-)
VardaValar1: Trying to help Hamson get in AIM
VardaValar1: Fresh blood. ;-)
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VardaValar1: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Membership:
VardaValar1: Started back into talking to potential recruits in
LotRO. Easiest with returning players and folks starting out, and gives
them the best experience starting the game.
VardaValar1: Fladrif is traveling, should be returning at another meeting with interesting tales. : )
VardaValar1: Any other Membership news?
ArPharazonV: Only that Arien just logged in, it seems!
VardaValar1: Arien is comng online. Aye :-)
AriehnV has entered the room.
AriehnV: aiya all :-)
VardaValar1: Aiya Arien :-)
VardaValar1: We're in Membership news, if you happen to have any? : )
AriehnV: nah i am fine ^^
VardaValar1: That's the best news!
VardaValar1: Gwaihir, hi to Gilraen for us. : )
GwaihirValar: message has been relayed! :-)
VardaValar1: Thanks : )
VardaValar1: Hamson has the download - working on getting in now.
VardaValar1: As usual, there's always some problem. He's using Hamson Gamgee, he says.
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VardaValar1: For Web news:
VardaValar1: Meriadoc-(V) found a link that he found amusing. :-)
VardaValar1: http://www.blackgate.com/2012/11/28/fools-in-the-hotzone-sarumon-as-the-bold-but-incompetent-firefighter/
VardaValar1: Extended metaphor that may have wandered a bit afield.
VardaValar1: The gaming poetry bug bit one of our LotRO members, Pippin-(V), so he gave us this:
VardaValar1: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/poetry/gamingpoetry/TheBurglarTheyCallPenny.htm
VardaValar1: He's done straight poetry before too, that you can get to from there if you like.
VardaValar1: Any other web news?
VardaValar1: Eonwe? Gwaihir?
Eonwe Valar: I can't work on the Games Site right now, so none from me.
GwaihirValar: nothing special personally
GwaihirValar: I have a small game bit, but nothing special for web ;-)
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VardaValar1: Gaming:
VardaValar1: Ok, miscellaneous non-WoW, non-LotRO gaming news. : )
ArPharazonV: I've got various bits to report, so let me know when it's my turn :-)
VardaValar1: Right after Gwaihir is done, Phar. : )
GwaihirValar: For any who were unaware, Guardians of Middle Earth
- the console-based Massively Online Battle Arena game(a la
DotA/LoL/HoN) is free on Playstation Plus currently for anyone who
subscribes to that. I wrote my impressions of it here: http://www.shadowedblade.net/2013/02/impressions-guardians-of-middle-earth-psn/
VardaValar1: Nice! Thanks!
GwaihirValar: If you have PS+ it can't hurt to give it a try. ;-)
VardaValar1: Thanks Gwaihir. Phar, your turn. : )
ArPharazonV: Allright
Hamson-(V) has entered the room. [Note: email edited out and his guild name put in its place]
VardaValar1: Hamson, welcome to the Valar Guild chat room. : )
Hamson-(V): Aiya Folks :-)
VardaValar1: Gwaihir, you were done, right?
VardaValar1: Phar is about to give his gaming news.
ArPharazonV: News 1: Trademark laws have struck another MLP [Note: My Little Pony]
fangame. The by far most anticipated one, in fact, and one that wasn't
too far from release. A fighting game called Fighting is Magic. From
what I can tell they are preparing a defense, but... it's probable they
won't make it.
VardaValar1: They can't clear this stuff before putting all that money and time into it?
ArPharazonV: The news has spread over the biggest fandom newssites and
fangame-websites, and there's a bit of a scare/panic going on. I've
already seen one that's taken down its site until further notice out of
fear of prosecution.
GwaihirValar: They don't try. They just hope it will fly under the radar a lot of the time.
VardaValar1: Pretty expensive?
ArPharazonV: Well, it's tried, usually, but they're generally
non-profit projects, and Hasbro has been very accepting of fan-made
stuff, so I think people usually expect to get away with it. A lot of
very small fangames have made it through fine, for example. But the
most high-profile ones, which are obviously the most anticipated, seem
to be getting targetted lately.
ArPharazonV: I've been tracking several other games, and really,
there's no guarantee that any of them will actually make it to release.
But we can always hope.
VardaValar1: Does it take a lot to get such a license if they're targeted?
ArPharazonV: The one with most chances of survival is an MMO that is
actually avoiding the trademark issue as much as possible by not
inserting any of the characters from the show, though they are using
actual locations, so we'll have to see.
GwaihirValar: The line between 'fine work of parody' and 'copyright infringing demon' is very blurry for many companies...
VardaValar1: It's not really a parody. Non-profit gaming is closer.
ArPharazonV: It mostly comes down to contacting Hasbro or their lawyers
or something, but they've generally not been very responsive. And yeah,
it's not really parody.
Hamson-(V): Is Neverwinter in this group that you are speaking of arpharazonv
Hamson-(V): That you have been tracking?
ArPharazonV: No, I'm talking about fangames for MLP: Fighting is Magic,
a popular cartoon show with a very large and creative internet-fandom
which has been turning out a lot of art and videos and fangames.
ArPharazonV: ehrr
ArPharazonV: Friendship is Magic
ArPharazonV: the game was called Fighting is Magic, sorry
ArPharazonV: Anyway, if more happens on this front, I'll let you know.
ArPharazonV: News 2:
Hamson-(V): Oh okay that makes a bit more sense to me thanks
Hamson-(V): I didn't know about the game.
ArPharazonV: I've been doing more flashgaming, really gotten into weekly challenges and the daily "badge of the day" events on the Kongregate
website. I'm finding it a lot of fun, because it really forces me to
check out and (partially) play a wide variety of games in various
genres. Many of them I've already seen or played (it really amazes me
how much of the games out there I've already seen over the years), but
there's some real treasures in there that I'd never found otherwise :-)
So I do recommend it, if you're interested in flashgames.
ArPharazonV: News 3! Now we're getting into more Valar-related stuff.
VardaValar1: ^^
ArPharazonV: I've been installing more games this week, some with issues, some very smoothly. Among them, I've reinstalled Battle for Middle-Earth 1 and 2, and the expansion to 2.
ArPharazonV: If people are interested in playing any of those in the
coming weeks, and I'm free at the time, just poke me in AIM :-)
Wouldn't mind getting into it again.
ArPharazonV: I've also got Age of Empires II and expansion installed this week, though that's less relevant ;-)
ArPharazonV: Finally news 4:
ArPharazonV: I've given in and installed the Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm beta
this weekend. There's a bug going on, though, which might be Europe
only, and makes it impossible to log in due to region errors.
VardaValar1: ow
ArPharazonV: This might just be the case for new beta-players, I'm not
sure, but forum posts suggest they're trying to fix it in a few days,
so early next week.
ArPharazonV: Once it's fixed though, I wouldn't mind trying it with
some Valarguilders if they happen to be in the beta too, since global
play should be possible now :-)
VardaValar1: Nice :-) Does it have a place to make a Valar channel?
ArPharazonV: Mostly I'm wanting to try out the levelling system,
because you can get unique portraits if you get all the races to lvl 5
:-)
ArPharazonV: Yes, I think so. There's also "group" support, which
allows you to enter various groups for various interests at the same
time, so that could work for us (and I'm planning on finding an MLP
fangroup in HotS, I can't imagine there not being one, as far as it's
spread), and they're also adding guilds/clans like in the old
battle.net.
ArPharazonV: So we've got various options to get together.
ArPharazonV: So if any of you are in there, let me know!
Eonwe Valar: "Groups" you'll be able to be a member of as many as you want, "clans" will be only one at any given time.
ArPharazonV: Yes.
Eonwe Valar: I was trying the beta out before my computer died.
ArPharazonV: Ah. Think you'll get access again before it ends, at the start of March?
VardaValar1: We can also do the old shadow guild thing we've often
done, where a group of Valarites use the Valar channel and all join the
same guild.
Eonwe Valar: *Shakes magic 8-ball* "Ask again later" hehe
ArPharazonV: Clan-support's good for that, Varda.
ArPharazonV: Anyway, that's all from me, thank you for your time :-)
VardaValar1: Thanks for the info Phar, and the chance for folks to get together in a new place. : )
VardaValar1: Maybe Maedhros would like to come, and Thorin.
VardaValar1: Any other gaming news?
VardaValar1: WoW:
VardaValar1: Eonwe, anything you'd like to mention?
VardaValar1: Pardon, got him working on something else too. *cough*
VardaValar1: We'll get back to that.
VardaValar1: LotRO:
VardaValar1: I'm now working on recruiting again. Anyone who wants to help is appreciated.
VardaValar1: If you meet a nice person you'd like to hang around with
for another 15 years, who read LotR, that's someone to check out. : )
VardaValar1: We allow cross-kinning.
VardaValar1: We've been doing all sorts of high and low level gaming, running with other kins for raids that need high numbers.
VardaValar1: Most of those kins are also running with other kins so we
may have members of two or three kins primarily in one run.
VardaValar1: Monday LotRO has a hotfix in the morning.
VardaValar1: Wednesday it'll be down 12 hours as they work on the
servers. That should help with the lag and improve the quality of the
experience.
VardaValar1: WoW:
VardaValar1: Phar, any news from that front that you'd like to mention?
VardaValar1: Sorry, lot of side-window stuff.
ArPharazonV: Hmm, not really. Just been plodding on in all my stuff, like the pet-hunting I mentioned pre-meeting.
ArPharazonV: Nothing newsworthy.
ArPharazonV: I've seen Arien online a few times if that counts?
VardaValar1: ok, thanks.
VardaValar1: Arien, where are you playing mainly?
VardaValar1: I've seen Arien a little in LotRO
Eonwe Valar: WoW: "Love is in the Air" should be going on now.
VardaValar1: Ah hah! That should please Eowyn-(V) :-)
Eonwe Valar: Chance to get ilvl 480 necklaces, 2 pets, and a mount, as well as a title if you don't have it.
ArPharazonV: 2 mounts, actually
Eonwe Valar: Oh yeah, the love rocket too.
AriehnV: me i am playing in wow Varda
ArPharazonV: Very low chance, but still chance :-)
Eonwe Valar: :}
AriehnV: but LotrO a little yes :-)
Eonwe Valar: Also a good way to get some quick guild dungeon credit *cough*
VardaValar1: yay : )
Eonwe Valar: That's it from me for now.
VardaValar1: Thank you, Eonwe. : )
VardaValar1: Any other news or business before we change the order of the meeting?
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VardaValar1: Tolkien:
VardaValar1: We could use some suggestions for our rotating quotes on the News. :-)
VardaValar1: Considering trolls in Middle-earth, travel had to be tough.
VardaValar1: The movie brought up the subject that the three in the
Trollshaws must have had a special way to get there, like underground
tunnels.
VardaValar1: Special trolls had to be bred to be more light-resistant. They showed up at the Black Gate when Aragorn's decoy group came there.
Eonwe Valar: The several-thousand-man decoy group, hehe :}
VardaValar1: Right : )
VardaValar1: Still a tiny group to be assaulting the Black Gate! Aragorn commented on that.
VardaValar1: It would look like a rash person that had just gotten the Ring.
Eonwe Valar: True :}
ArPharazonV: I hadn't thought of that last bit.
VardaValar1: Aragorn mentioned it. Not my brilliant insight. :-)
Hamson-(V) has left the room.
GwaihirValar: I'd always been a little bit curious about how faesible
the numbers of the armies actually was(even the Orcs for that
matter)... I mean... these civilizations didn't sound like the type to
be faesibly fielding tens of thousands of troops on remote
expeditions... but that's something that is usually ignored in most
writing...
ArPharazonV: Think of the catering involved...
Eonwe Valar: It depends on how much of your population you want/can put into your army too.
VardaValar1: hehe
GwaihirValar: very few authors actually take into account logistics -
probably for good reason lol... but it always seemed a little strange
to be saying 'they just sent 2 thousand' when it feels like the place
sending it was the equivalent of a series of fishing communities
GwaihirValar: always gets me during the scene at the gates where they're watching the processions enter the city
ArPharazonV: I mean, how long did the "decoy" group take to get from
Minas Tirith to the Black Gate? And how much food would they have had
to bring with them?
GwaihirValar: But... alas, I do not have time to discuss this... the
lovely Gilraen has just insisted that I go to prepare us food so I
shall have to be going on that note ;-)
ArPharazonV: Considering that their fields and lands had just been under siege?
Eonwe Valar: The only areas we really got a look at are Rohan and Minas Tirith.
GwaihirValar: Take care and farewell, friends :-)
ArPharazonV: Namarie!
VardaValar1: Namarie!
Eonwe Valar: Sleep well Gwaihir :}
VardaValar1: Hobbits approve
Eonwe Valar: Many of the lands that sent armies weren't under siege.
Part of the problem on their march through Ithilien was that to many of
those sent, Mordor was barely real.
ArPharazonV: While the Fellowship travelled, food was mentioned several
times. When Frodo and Sam were on their own, the plot depended on it
sometimes. When there was a small army kidnapping Merry and Pippin and
going to Isengard, a lack of meat is mentioned once.
VardaValar1: The logistics were something JRRT would understand
ArPharazonV: When big armies travelled across Rohan or from Mordor to
Minas Tirith, or the other way around... food doesn't even get a
mention.
VardaValar1: The big army did divide up, making it smaller, just the ones that were less afraid.
VardaValar1: They had to have carts for supply lines, hunting, villages along the way for resupply
Eonwe Valar: Probably not villages in Ithilien.
ArPharazonV: They would've had foodstores in their strongholds in Ithilien.
VardaValar1: Another thing to think of is how long were they traveling,
what kind of resupply could they get locally, what they carried
personally and in carts, what was carted in from various places. Did
they have caches along the way?
VardaValar1: True, Ithilien would.
Hamson-(V) has entered the room.
ArPharazonV: How many people did they refuge in Helm's Deep?
Eonwe Valar: I don't recall off the top of my head.
VardaValar1: They had great stores underground for sieges.
Eonwe Valar: My books aren't nearby.
ArPharazonV: That's true. Underground tunnels etc.
AriehnV: hello again Hamson#
Hamson-(V): Aiya folkd :-) Sorry about that!
Eonwe Valar: WB :}
VardaValar1: They had a very large area under Helm's Deep. Gimli and
Eomer wound up down there. That later became the place that Gimli was
lord of: The Glittering Caves of Aglarond.
VardaValar1: Happens, Hamson. : )
VardaValar1: Ithilien had their stashes and would have been getting ready for the march incoming.
Hamson-(V): That is directly from the book, cool, I remember that and trying to imagine what it looked like.
VardaValar1: These folk were old travelers too, and would carry what they could on them for long trips that small groups made.
VardaValar1: Aye.
VardaValar1: Gimli told about what the place was like.
VardaValar1: Pretty amazing. : )
VardaValar1: The guild named the art site after it. Amillo/Elatan's very good idea.
VardaValar1: The trolls were traveling somehow, including through the goblin caves.
VardaValar1: This suggests more caves and tunnels around, that the Ithilien rangers under Faramir would know and exploit.
VardaValar1: Also, would they equp for more than a one-way trip?
ArPharazonV: Or they migrated during the night and took a nap under a tree during the day.
VardaValar1: Aye Phar. They would have to be very careful, not as dumb as they look. : )
Hamson-(V): Doubtful since they said that they would pillage after their battle
Eonwe Valar: "Hmm, my hand is stone. Better dig a hole!"
VardaValar1: Resupply in guerrilla fashion. : )
VardaValar1: oops
VardaValar1: Does make the old story of trolls hiding under a bridge make more sense. It could hold off a lot of light.
ArPharazonV: That does make sense!
VardaValar1: The trolls had a cave stash and were there long enough to put a lot in it.
VardaValar1: In other news, a quick mention:
VardaValar1: the rp forum story has two new posts.
VardaValar1: This might be a time others can chime in that are moving
around, or at least an Eonwe meet-up with Indis and others.
AriehnV: i saw those ^^ , so you guys went back into the library and
dusted through a million more books until you had enough :-)
AriehnV: so i wonder where Frali went after breaKFASst .. probabli to see gimli and gloin again
VardaValar1: Fainan had enough. Merein is still working. : )
VardaValar1: Meren
AriehnV: i think they might be headed towards the forges again .. you know dwarves
AriehnV: of course on the way they could bump into fainan
VardaValar1: Fainan doesn't assume that Auros is at the forges. That's why she's asking locals.
VardaValar1: Still, on the way means we might bump into each other.
VardaValar1: She'll probably find Auros at...the library!
AriehnV: hehe
AriehnV: and Fainan might have to steer Frali clear of Meren and Auros
VardaValar1: Why?
AriehnV: Auros must take a closer look at the orc sword which is still in meren's keeping
AriehnV: but frali should not know this
ArPharazonV: I don't think Fainan knows this yet either.
AriehnV: but if we all meet again at the library . Auros , Frali ,
Fainan and Meren .. Auros might signal to Fainan that he needs Meren
alone
Eonwe Valar: Presumably all anyone would know (minus Frali who wasn't
there) was that *someone* was going to take the sword into their
keeping.
VardaValar1: We don't know who someone is, but probably Meren. Auros just needs to examine it.
Eonwe Valar: I *think* it came up in the discussion w/ Elrond in the Library.
VardaValar1: A consultant, sort of. :-)
VardaValar1: aye, he just said someone
VardaValar1: Meren is not the one that outsiders would assume was carrying it, good camouflage.
Hamson-(V) has left the room.
VardaValar1: Hamson's computer crashed.
AriehnV: ouch
VardaValar1: So who do we need to have posting next? Haven't heard
about Phar's character lately. What would he find interesting in
Rivendell? Would he be looking for us or others? Maybe Frali and he
bump into each other.
VardaValar1: or he could be going back to the library right now.
ArPharazonV: I'm not sure either. To be honest I've lost track of what he's doing.
AriehnV: you sat with us at breakfast
ArPharazonV: Yes, I remember that, but before that?
VardaValar1: He was at the table with us in the Hall of Fire. It was a break from digging in the library, which he was doing.
VardaValar1: As a noble, he's probably a better reader than Fainan is, faster at least.
ArPharazonV: True. He'd probably return to his reading, but also take a
break at a later point to do what he wanted to do since he came to
Rivendell.
Eonwe Valar: Before the Hall of Fire, Calion was in the library reading books.
VardaValar1: That could help our party get back together.
ArPharazonV: Explore the place, check out the surrounding nature and sights and all that.
ArPharazonV: Tromping through the valley.
VardaValar1: I tried to give Fainan's reaction to Rivendell, something
most might not have. Calion might have some unusual thoughts about the
place too, being from Mirkwood.
VardaValar1: Shall we shift to After-meeting, so folks can post or leave as needed?
ArPharazonV: I'll toss in a post during the week.
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VardaValar1: After-meeting begins peacefully, birds chirping in the distance.
ArPharazonV: Probably taking Fainan's example of a library break and going out to smell the flowers.
ArPharazonV: Or the roses. Whatever the expression is.
ArPharazonV: Perhaps he's going outside to see what those birds are that are chirping in the distance.
ArPharazonV: *who/which
VardaValar1: Strange birds!
Eonwe Valar: Fifteen birds in five fir trees...
Eonwe Valar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLVgGADHg60
ArPharazonV: and a partridge in a pear tree...
VardaValar1: LotRO: we're probably having a Fornost run Tuesday evening for Beleg and his girl-friend. He's level 36 atm.
AriehnV: nothng i am afraid .. closest to there is probably the runekeeper at 30 or around that
VardaValar1: Since he's gaming right now, he may be higher than that now.
VardaValar1: I suspect he won't mind overlevel help.
VardaValar1: He ok'd my 41 minstrel. [42]
AriehnV: Arriehn is 47 i think
VardaValar1: Cool, should work out fine.
AriehnV: what time at night?
VardaValar1: You'll probably be asleep. He's thinking evening.
AriehnV: meh :-(
VardaValar1: After his physical therapy, I'll ask.
ArPharazonV: What was the timezone difference again? 6 hours?
AriehnV: some folks 8 hours , some six
ArPharazonV: Also, SCII beta still not working, I think I'll dive into WoW again for some pethunting :-)
ArPharazonV: And for the servertime?
AriehnV: five hours
VardaValar1: He says around 8 EST
ArPharazonV: EST.. that's 6 hours, it'd be 2 am
ArPharazonV: well, 1 am for Arien
VardaValar1: I don't recommend it for you on a weeknight. It's Tuesday.
AriehnV: aye and i ll be working next night unlike tomorrow
AriehnV: next day i mean
VardaValar1: Ok, you folks get some rest or post or have fun in WoW. I'll pop in and bother Eonwe. ^^
AriehnV: oki do :-)
AriehnV: have fun
Eonwe Valar: :}
AriehnV has left the room.
VardaValar1 has left the room.
ArPharazonV: saving and sending transcript
[Note from Ar-Pharazon: Oh, and I got
my (common quality, but better than nothing, since it's hard to find)
Minfernal half an hour ago ;) ]
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