Valar Guild

November 23, 2014 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

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Transcript work by
Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending: (3)
    AriehnV, ArPharazonV, VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
    Tolkien Site/ Art: new art
Gaming:
    Inviting Beorning alts into our LotRO kin on Landroval.
    Dropped into WoW looking for Celebrian and Elrond, but missed. Howdies to others though. Don't forget to re-enter the channel after updates.
Tolkien:
    PJ's farewell to the LotR and H movies.
    Speculation on our part on handling movie-making of the Sil.
    A quick bit on Beornings, planning on having something meatier next weekend.
After-meeting:
    More gaming news.
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Before-meeting
You have just entered room "valarguildmeetingplace."
VardaValar1 has entered the room.
VardaValar1: Aiya Phar :-)
VardaValar1: brb! We have a few minutes
ArPharazonV: Aiya! Welcome back!
VardaValar1: Thanks :-)
VardaValar1: It's that time of day. Inviting now.
ArPharazonV: Arien is poked.
VardaValar1: Thanks :-)
VardaValar1: I'm not in a game atm but could pop in and do some pokes.
ArPharazonV: Go for it!
VardaValar1: loading screens going now :-)
AriehnV has entered the room.
AriehnV: aiya all :-)
ArPharazonV: Aiya!
VardaValar1: Aiya Sunshine :-)
VardaValar1: Thanks to both of you for handling the load while I was gone!
VardaValar1: Loading into LotRO to poke some more folks. :-)
VardaValar1: If you see anyone else you want to poke, feel free
VardaValar1: Ok, pokes given, not seeing Indis online.
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VardaValar1: Membership:
VardaValar1: Arien has been handling the chairperson duties while I was gone, and we all thank her for doing that!
VardaValar1: Ar-Pharazon has been sending in the transcripts faithfully no matter what, giving us all a look at what's happening even if we were far away from a computer during that time.
VardaValar1: Eowyn and Faramir's baby is doing well, able to say Da-da already, trying his best to walk even if he does have to hold onto something with one hand.
ArPharazonV: How old do babies tend to be when they start walking?
VardaValar1: Faramir makes it look as if he's completely recovered, able to go to work and do everything again.
VardaValar1: Varies, around one year.
VardaValar1: He was born in January, just attempting to be an overachiever.
VardaValar1: We also had the fun of dropping in to see Meriadoc-(V), who's doing better these days in health and working hard. Hi from him. :-)
ArPharazonV: Good to hear, and hi!
VardaValar1: We also got to go to the Texas Renaissance Festival yesterday with our Pathfinder gaming group (tabletop of a version of D&D).
VardaValar1: That included Sauron, Gimli, and myself as well as a batch of guild-friends who play with the guild in Star Wars: The Old Republic
ArPharazonV: Dressed up like your characters?
VardaValar1: It was a themed weekend for the Scots. We needed Arien there. :-)
VardaValar1: We wore plaid. :-)
ArPharazonV: Ah :-)
VardaValar1: In October, I went more Varda-esque with a black and white dress, starry long veil and jewelry. Others also went more like their characters.
VardaValar1: We had less latitude for this run if we wanted to fit into the theme.
VardaValar1: Gimli by the way has grown a nice beard and mustache, although he keeps it trimmed. :-)
ArPharazonV: Bring in a Scottish accent and he'll be movie-accurate as well as thematic for the Festival.
VardaValar1: He did give that a shot. :-)
VardaValar1: Brought his red-headed wife too. :-)
ArPharazonV: Great!
VardaValar1: Any other membership news?
VardaValar1: Hi from Hamson, Elwing, Gorlim, and Fangorn.
VardaValar1: and Sauron.
ArPharazonV: Hi to all!
ArPharazonV: Fladrif's still alive, saw him appear on battle.net for a moment last night, but didn't get a chance to talk.
VardaValar1: Arien has been working ten hours straight, grats for managing to drag in here.
VardaValar1: Oh good, glad he's still able to reach a computer.
ArPharazonV: *nods*
AriehnV: hehe thanks :-)
AriehnV: just about getting over it
ArPharazonV: I suppose he's somewhere between our timezones, so maybe you can find him online when it's late for you?
AriehnV: and i was a " she * last time i looked :-P
ArPharazonV: Varda was referring to Fladrif with that one ;-)
VardaValar1: I'm bad about thread-jumping. :-)
AriehnV: ah haha great to hear about Fladrif recovering and Meriadoc as well :-)
ArPharazonV: And Faramir too!
AriehnV: and Faramir indeed
AriehnV: i meant Farmair .. not Fladrif .. bad typing
AriehnV: and .. i dont do names in case you forgot :-P
ArPharazonV: Well there's some name-similarity there ;-)
VardaValar1: Faramir doesn't complain hardly at all, even in terrible shape, but at least he seems to be moving well and doing normal activities.
AriehnV: very well .. yeah i hear the same from my sister .. she still manages to joke about her state
AriehnV: maybe it brings out the gallows humor in some and shows their true strength :-)
VardaValar1: Agreed. :-)
ArPharazonV: As a certain webcomic author once said... if something can't be joked about, it's not worth taking seriously.
ArPharazonV: Or something to that effect.
AriehnV: hehe i like that
ArPharazonV: http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson494.html Ah, here it is.
VardaValar1: hah, another one to add to the reading list! Thanks, should be fun.
VardaValar1: and bookmarked. Thanks. :-)
ArPharazonV: hehe
VardaValar1: Any other membership news?
VardaValar1: (I should have some, but it slips the mind atm.)
VardaValar1: (at the moment. Fangorn reminds me there are many ways to read at the moment, atmospheric pressure, etc)
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VardaValar1: Web:
VardaValar1: DeepGroover-(T) has been busy and shared a new werewolf model with us, three views of it now online.
VardaValar1: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/art/gallery/DeepGroover/Werewolf2014/Werewolf2014.htm
VardaValar1: This time, we have links to other of his werewolf models or related such as an evil wolf.
VardaValar1: That's what I was working on just before the meeting. Sorry the thumbnails aren't built yet, but you can enjoy it as it is for now. :-)
VardaValar1: Eonwe put up the news for the Games Site, very good about having it up ahead of the meeting for us.
VardaValar1: Speaking of which...
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VardaValar1: Gaming News:
VardaValar1: From Eonwe:

VardaValar1: Diablo 3:
VardaValar1: Patch 2.1.2 is up on the PTR. Check out the PTR patch notes as well.

VardaValar1: Hearthstone:
VardaValar1: Two more looks into the coming expansion have been posted: : Goblins vs Gnomes: Spare Parts and Goblins vs Gnomes: Mechs!
November 2014 season is ending soon.

VardaValar1: StarCraft 2:
VardaValar1: More Protoss unit info is up.
VardaValar1: There's also an update on multiplayer in Legacy of the Void.
VardaValar1: League Season 4 has begun.

VardaValar1: World of WarCraft:
VardaValar1: Bofur and Nob are the first to make it to 100! Eonwë was next by a couple of days :}
ArPharazonV: That multiplayer update is basically saying that they haven't decided on anything yet ;-)
VardaValar1: heh
VardaValar1: WoW's 10th Annvisary is going! Log in for your own molten corgi! If you get to 100 and get an average item level of 615, you can give the Molten Core LFR a try for a guaranteed mount and achievement (for beating Ragnaros), and a chance at other goodies! The event goes until January 6th, so get it while you can!
VardaValar1: A new blog on the Journey into HighMaul and a video on the new character models has been posted.
AriehnV: grats to both :-)
VardaValar1: Be sure to check on the recent hotfixes too.
ArPharazonV: Interesting. That character model video hasn't been released on the EU blog yet.
AriehnV: my mage made it to 100 as well :-)
VardaValar1: And that's the news from Eonwe.
VardaValar1: Grats Arien :-)
VardaValar1: Phar, you hit 100 too, I believe?
ArPharazonV: Me? No. Not by a long shot. I'm approaching 93 now.
VardaValar1: ahh, ok. We know you'll get there!

VardaValar1: LotRO:
ArPharazonV: I was a bit late to the party so it would be a bit less crowded, and have been spending too much time at the garrison. But I'll get there.
VardaValar1: We've also had members at the max from the last update in LotRO, some with multiple 100's.
VardaValar1: Gorlim, Indis, Nar, myself
VardaValar1: Others are coming quite close.
VardaValar1: Some have made Beornings. Not all are in the kin yet, I'm sure
VardaValar1: Since I couldn't be on much recently, Gorlim, who has been on a lot, kindly agreed to be an inviter for alts, and is now an inviter officer on LotRO.
VardaValar1: So if you're a Beorning needing an invitation, you have several who can help you. Fangorn is also able to do that for you, or Eonwe/Auros in the wee hours on a few times during the week. [Note: Arien is also an officer who can invite.]
AriehnV: cool :-)

VardaValar1: Star Wars: The Old Republic. Sauron has been quite active and we have others running with him especially when Pathfinder or Midnight tabletop games don't make (Tues/Sat).

More LotRO:
VardaValar1: Arien, do you need an invite? I could pop on and do that for you during the meeting if you like.
AriehnV: oh and Cala .. as for your questions last week if Beornings in the game can talk with animals so i can positively answer that. At the beginning of the intor of the Beorning there is a quest to calm a milk cow and persuade her to get back to the homestead :-)
ArPharazonV: Ah! Mystery solved :-)
VardaValar1: Good to know, thanks.
VardaValar1: I hope to make a Beorning probably early December after accumulating enough Turbine Points.
VardaValar1: Not long now.
AriehnV: i bought the last couple of hundred points to be honest .. i couldnt wait ;-)
AriehnV: but i hadnt missing too many of them so it wasnt too bad
VardaValar1: Nice :-)
VardaValar1: <--- cheapskate
ArPharazonV: Interesting concept of currency. Not too different from Hearthstone gold I guess.
VardaValar1: We earn the Turbine Points by questing, completing deeds, getting 500 a month for Lifers, or buying them with real cash.
VardaValar1: Hearthstone the same?
ArPharazonV: You get hearthstone gold by doing quests and/or winning matches, or... I think you can buy them with real money... either that or you buy the things you can buy with gold, with real money.
ArPharazonV: That 500 a month is useful too!
ArPharazonV: Wish we got 500 gold in Hearthstone every month, 5 card packs for free :-)
VardaValar1: It's not gold, it's Turbine Points
VardaValar1: Gold is separate
ArPharazonV: Yes, but I mean it's like the gold in Hearthstone.
VardaValar1: Thanks
VardaValar1: I"m going into LotRO to do the kin invitation for Arien's Beorning and give Fangorn's new character proper officer status so he can invite
VardaValar1: hah, it's raining there. :-)
ArPharazonV: Good for the Mirkwood vegetation.
VardaValar1: Quite right. Maybe clear the air a bit.
AriehnV: there we are
VardaValar1: Ok, Arien's Beorning is in the kin and officer status now.
VardaValar1: Fangorn's character needed the officer status as well. All handled now.
VardaValar1: Any more gaming news or other business to take care of before we switch to Tolkien?
VardaValar1: hah, I should probably open WoW and do the same thing for Celebrian and Elrond
VardaValar1: This is one reason for meetings. :-) Handle odd things where we have trouble communicating across games.
AriehnV: yeah i dont have the us membership active at the mo in WoW .. still need to supscribe for both i think?
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ArPharazonV: Well, if we're starting Tolkien, I'll throw in another link from P.J.'s facebook, a goodbye video with clips from all LotR and Hobbit movies.
VardaValar1: Tolkien
ArPharazonV: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152783652041558
VardaValar1: Thanks Phar
ArPharazonV: Wouldn't be surprised if this was also the credits song for the last Hobbit movie.
VardaValar1: I'll bet he's too tired to think about doing movies from the Silmarillion stories right now, and he has to be asked by those that would put the movies out.
ArPharazonV: Yes, the Silmarillion is mentioned often in the comments ;-)
VardaValar1: Bet those comments make him feel worn out
VardaValar1: I'm thinking Christopher Tolkien is voting for the Hurin story since he put that book out.
ArPharazonV: Well it's something, at least :-)
VardaValar1: I'm voting for Beren and Luthien, since it is already fleshed out a lot and the one JRRT used for his and her gravestones for himself and his wife.
VardaValar1: and I like the main characters better.
ArPharazonV: Both are classic stories. Gondolin could be doable as well but it's more linked to the world around it, I guess?
VardaValar1: Gondolin would be a good one, aye.
VardaValar1: That should keep PJ in business a long time. :-)
ArPharazonV: I'm not sure if the audience would appreciate a series of movies where the villain (Morgoth) is not actually defeated at any point, though ;-) But the dragon makes a good villain.
ArPharazonV: For that reason, I don't think Gondolin would do well with an audience who's not familiar with the Silmarillion as a whole. It doesn't really end on a happy note.
VardaValar1: Right. Just be sure to make the villain of the piece the main one, with Morgoth in the back, and have the last of the movies where Morgoth is kicked out the Door of Night. :-)
ArPharazonV: Hah! That would be a good conclusion.
VardaValar1: That would make a trilogy or quadrilogy or something. :-)
VardaValar1: Morgoth could be the connecting point, and show the Valar watching what he's doing so we have a protagonist for the ending. Manwe would be best for the focus.
VardaValar1: Not just watching but planning.
AriehnV: i vote for Atalante or what it is called :-)
VardaValar1: That's correct, also called Numenor
ArPharazonV: Aerendil (read so many versions, I never get the spelling right) would be a good protagonist for the final installment.
AriehnV: i d love to see a movie about Numenor and its fall
ArPharazonV: Akallabeth, that would be.
AriehnV: yes that
VardaValar1: Just make the whole history with the Valar story as an overarching thing to hold it together, not just the silmarils.
AriehnV: too complicated for me tonight .. dry
VardaValar1: And you're on your Beorning at the same time. :-)
VardaValar1: We've been on an hour. Would you like to call it a night/morning?
ArPharazonV: Had you no topic planned, or will this do, then? :-)
VardaValar1: This turned into the topic. I had planned for the Beornings
ArPharazonV: Right, sorry to throw you in a different direction then ;-)
VardaValar1: Maybe next time, but I'd still like to give you this interesting article link:
VardaValar1: o no, organic topics are the best. :-)
VardaValar1: http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2014/11/05/what-kind-of-army-did-the-beornings-maintain/
AriehnV: hmm very organic .. original even
VardaValar1: This article is "What Kind of Army did the Beornings Maintain"
VardaValar1: Enjoyable food for thought, and we can do some research on the Beornings before next meeting, perhaps. :-)
AriehnV: doesnt find the page
ArPharazonV: It's working for me.
VardaValar1: http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2014/11/05/what-kind-of-army-did-the-beornings-maintain/
VardaValar1: Maybe the home page?
VardaValar1: http://middle-earth.xenite.org/
VardaValar1: It's a neat page, with lots of specific questions answered as article starters.
VardaValar1: A good system for doing an article or short story: what question would you like to answer?
VardaValar1: *picks up hammer*
ArPharazonV: Earendil could make a nice movie. Halfblood, growing up in the wake of the fall of Gondolin... beset by Elves, fleeing in a boat, ending up in the middle of the affairs of the Valar, and playing a large role in the war to come.
VardaValar1: Trivia: grond means hammer
ArPharazonV: Ah, makes sense :-)
VardaValar1: Aye, that would make a very good movie. I'll buy a ticket now!
ArPharazonV: Grond being both a warhammer, and a device for hammering down the gates.
VardaValar1: *thonnnnk!*
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VardaValar1: After-meeting!
VardaValar1: We now turn Phar loose! :-)
ArPharazonV: Allrighty.
VardaValar1: We may type to our heart's content. :-)

ArPharazonV: Let's see now. Flashgaming done... not too much new this week, but I'll give a link to a silly cartoonish defense-against-zombies game.
ArPharazonV: http://www.kongregate.com/games/FirebeastStudio/zombo-buster-rising

VardaValar1: (Kvothe was in Valar channel in WoW, I missed the person, sorry)

ArPharazonV: Hearthstone... not much news there either. Still all at 30, still doing my dailies. I did see a few new druid cards revealed for the expansion that, as a druid-main in WoW, have me quite intrigued.
ArPharazonV: Let me see if I can find them.
ArPharazonV: http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Anodized_Robo_Cub (also a pet in WoW)
ArPharazonV: http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Mech-Bear-Cat ultimate druid mech, it seems!
ArPharazonV: Can't wait to get those in my collection :-)

ArPharazonV: And now for WoW!
AriehnV: hehe did you get the wee tenth anniversary doggy?
ArPharazonV: As I said I've been working hard at my garrison, and am doing well. It's now at level 2, with 8 followers, who I constantly keep on missions when I'm in-game, and I'm almost done questing in Shadowmoon.
ArPharazonV: Yep, I got the Molten Corgi :-)
ArPharazonV: Too lowlevel for the Molten Core raid though, but I'll get there in time.
ArPharazonV: I'm really enjoying it, and I love just wandering around my garrison whenever the questing zones are a bit too crowded for my tastes.
ArPharazonV: So much stuff to do and unlock in the garrison, and it's great for professions as well.
ArPharazonV: It just doesn't give much character experience ;-)
AriehnV: no it levels the followers instead dear :-)
ArPharazonV: Which is also nice!
AriehnV: you might get to the stage where the folowwers are higher level than you hehe
ArPharazonV: Hah. I have 2 followers at level 97 already.
AriehnV: but if you keep questing you keep collecting more followers as well
ArPharazonV: Yes, that's true! I want to collect as many as possible.
ArPharazonV: And then level them all up!
AriehnV: they pop up on the go ^^
ArPharazonV: That's my personal project for this expansion.
AriehnV: and the scenario cinematics are very nice . i wont spoil anything but i like the way they did the horde stuff just alliance missing now hehe , but i ll do that on Justi :-)
ArPharazonV: I don't have any horde. Yet. But I'm tempted to use my boost for one.
ArPharazonV: In the follower tab there is a list of all the followers you can get from quests and achievements. Some appear to be mutually exclusive, as I had to choose 1 out of 3 at the end of a quest today, but still, I aim to get as many as I can.
ArPharazonV: Not sure if any of them are horde-only. Guess I'll find sooner or later.
ArPharazonV: Presumably, only those for your faction are displayed.
VardaValar1: Guess you'll find out
ArPharazonV: *find out, yes, that's what I meant to say.
VardaValar1: Fangorn and I are slipping off to the kitchen to see about supper. :-)
ArPharazonV: Enjoy!
AriehnV: enjoy
AriehnV: i should be heading to bed i think .. really sleepy now ^^
AriehnV: so while it lasts better take advantage from it
AriehnV: Namarie :-)
ArPharazonV: Namarie!
AriehnV has left the room.
VardaValar1: Good night, Arien :-)

VardaValar1: Ok, found Bofur in WoW and Eowyn in Battlenet, but not Elrond or Celebrian. Heading back to LotRO now.
ArPharazonV: Have fun :-)
VardaValar1: Always :-)
VardaValar1: It's a mental state. ;-)
ArPharazonV: hehe
ArPharazonV: saving and sending transcript
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