Valar Guild

June 3, 2018 Sunday Meeting

5pm EDT (UTC/GMT - 5)
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

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Transcript work by
Varda.

Attending: (7)
    Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, Gorlim (After-meeting), Pallando (After-meeting), Varda (presiding)
    LotRO: Orome, Varda

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
    Art by the Bohemial Weasel-(T)
Gaming:
    General gaming report by Eonwe and others.
Tolkien:
    Chat Topic: How Tolkien's characters did at adapting to change.
    Announcements by Arien:
       Tolkien Exhibition
       Tolkien language speaker
    Previous chat topic continues.
After-meeting:
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon
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Before-meeting
(times are in Central from Varda, so add one hour for Eastern)

Varda - Yesterday at 3:40 PM
Aiya to Ar-Pharazon!
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 3:40 PM
Aiya!
Varda - Yesterday at 3:41 PM
:)
Varda - Yesterday at 4:03 PM
Ok, sent out reminders around. Feel like an alarm clock, heh.
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Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Membership:
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Heya
Varda - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Who all is here? Please type Manwe
Manwe
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Manwe
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Manwë
Varda - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Aiya Eonwe
[Kinship] Beorome: cheers to all
That's a hello from Orome in LotRO.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Aiya Orome!
either that or Beor
Varda - Yesterday at 4:05 PM
He's running a Beorning body at the moment. You know these Valar.
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:06 PM
hehe
Varda - Yesterday at 4:06 PM
I'm relaying howdies.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:06 PM
that works too
Varda - Yesterday at 4:08 PM
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Web:
We have new artwork.
ArienV - Yesterday at 4:08 PM
Aiya  all :smiley:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:08 PM
Bohemian Weasel-(T): book-style (not movie) sketch for Legolas in Lorien listening to the lament for Gandalf.
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/art/gallery/BohemianWeasel/characters/Legolas/LegolasLoriensketch.jpg
She was concerned about drawing the main characters straight from the books rather than the movies that people are so used to. I think she has nothing to worry about.
Gaming:
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:11 PM
Just needs a caption then :wink:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:11 PM
Eonwe, I know you're having a time crunch. Will you be able to give the Gaming report.
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:11 PM
Sure
Varda - Yesterday at 4:12 PM
pardon
Phar, its on here:
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/art/gallery/BohemianWeasel/characters/Legolas/Legolas.htm
Lots of caption, but just a link to the sketch.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:12 PM
ah right :smiley:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:12 PM
Hoping for a final version to put up with no paintbrushes.
Ok, I'm done, Eonwe. Pardon again. : )
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:16 PM
No worries.
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Gaming:
World of Warcraft:
The Darkmoon Faire begins today and runs through Saturday, June 9th.
An exerpt is available from the upcoming book Before the Storm.
A new comic is also out: World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth #2 — Magni: “The Speaker”.

Diablo 3:
A new patch is out this week: Patch 2.6.1a.
Also, don't forget the season is ending real soon.
If you're trying to complete something, finish up!

Starcraft 2:
A new patch is out for Starcraft 2 as well: Patch 4.3.2.

Hearthstone:
Check out some tips for using the Collection Manager.
Also check out the Developer Insights blog: Arena with Kris Zierhut.

LotRO:
Not noted on the Games Site yet is that it was just announced today there will be downtime tomorrow for LotRO.
Update 22.2 is coming out.
Thus ends the gaming news I'm privy to.
Varda - Yesterday at 4:20 PM
Thank you, Eonwe

For LotRO, here are the release notes:
https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?664457-Update-22-2-Release-Notes
Update 22.2 Release Notes
(Note: These notes will receive an update on June 4th by the end of the day to reflect a few changes that did not make it into this version of the notes.) 
Here are the Release Notes for Update 22.2, released on June 4th.
 
I recommend taking a screenshot today for your traits and legacies, as a lot of classes will be facing a re-set and you might want the comparison.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:22 PM
Clever.
[Note: LotRO is beginning weekly world restarts every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
Hobnangians is running through June 3.
Anniversary Encore June 8th through June 17th]

Varda - Yesterday at 4:23 PM
Also for Membership, Aranuir says hi, been having computer problems and new work hours, but expects to be back for LotRO soon.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:23 PM
Ouch.
Oh, for membership, back from vacation :wink:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:24 PM
Welcome back, Phar!
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:24 PM
Thanks!
ArienV - Yesterday at 4:24 PM
welcome back home
Varda - Yesterday at 4:24 PM
For the LotRO gang that showed up this past week's list:
Arien
Bregalad
Dis
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Hamson
Luthien
Melkor
Nar
Nimrodel
Orome
Varda
You can see this list for yourself under Social/Kinship. Uncheck Status and click the word status to get the names chronologically.
and hit that grayed out arrow to the right of Status to change what note you see. The person's name is there.
This is not intuitive and a lot of people would like to know this, so there you are, folks.

ArienV - Yesterday at 4:26 PM
ah cool i wondered how you do that so fast ^^ i looked always through the names and picked the names accordint to the date :smiley:
last online
Varda - Yesterday at 4:27 PM
I put it on Notepad and copy paste. ; )
I collect them for the last 6 days to give the week's group.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:27 PM
So many fancy programs and wordpad is still so useful :smiley:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:27 PM
Aye to that.
It was Notepad, but the same idea, right.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:28 PM
ehrr, sorry
Notepad :wink:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:28 PM
Wordpad would work the same way.
Anyone else seen this past week in your games?
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:28 PM
In Dutch it's called "kladblok", I use it for a variety of things including my to-do lists for WoW.
Varda - Yesterday at 4:29 PM
Great sounding name. Almost Klingonish.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:29 PM
Not sure if that would translate to notepad or wordpad, perhaps "sketchpad" or "cladpad" would be more literal.
I like Cladpad.
Varda - Yesterday at 4:29 PM
heh

StarCraft 2: Eowyn, Fangorn, Faramir, and the son of Eowyn and Faramir. Some of you too, most likely.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:30 PM
No, not Cladpad. Draftpad. I'm messing up English now.
Right, I'm done with my little brainstorm :wink:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:30 PM
Kladblok it is!

ArienV - Yesterday at 4:30 PM
Seen  Eomer and Orome in Eve as well as  Celebrian  in the guild chat .. and
Varda - Yesterday at 4:31 PM
I think Sauron was in Eve also
ArienV - Yesterday at 4:31 PM

and of course seen Helm in Bnet :smiley: as well as a certain golden Bear :)#
i dont think i spotted him during my times online but that doesnt mean he wasnt there :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:32 PM
Hmhm, though only the last few days.

Varda - Yesterday at 4:36 PM
For survival purposes, logging out of Northern Mirkwood while trying to be  in the meeting. : )
Any other news, suggestions, etc?
Anyone needing some sort of invite to a game or Discord, etc?
If not, then on to
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Tolkien:
How well did characters in Tolkien adapt to the changing world? Did they all take it in stride with grace? Or maybe not so much? This can be across any part of the changes.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Numenoreans didn't take well to the world going round.
Varda - Yesterday at 4:41 PM
heh
True
A lot of them were sunk. A few were spared and sailed to Middle-earth, where they managed to adapt. Then there were the ones stuck underground.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:43 PM
Hobbits weren't too taken with their new housing and technologies.
And  yep. People on Numenor itself didn't learn how to fly either!
Varda - Yesterday at 4:44 PM
When Eru showed the Ainur his vision of where he was going to put the next two sets of siblings, they had varying reactions to that change.
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 4:48 PM
Elves in general didn't take to it so well, not because they themselves didn't change, but because their lifespan put them on a different clock from the change that was coming once the Atani entered the picture.
Varda - Yesterday at 4:50 PM
The Avari taught some of the humans coming out of the east, escaping Melkor. Other elves in Beleriand worked with them after their arrival.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Better to help the ones you're meant to leave the world to, rather than those that want to take it by force? :smiley:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:52 PM
And yet the elves were bound to the world, while the humans were not.

In a side note, Arien has a couple of Tolkienesque links for us. Go ahead, Arien. : )
ArienV - Yesterday at 4:55 PM
yes i ll give you the link to the Tolkien exhibition in Oxford again  that started today
https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whatson/whats-on/upcoming-events/2018/june/tolkien
Bodleian Libraries
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores Tolkien's legacy from his genius as an artist, poet, linguist, and author to his academic career and private life.

and something i found on the bbc website in connection with it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/44319958/meet-the-tolkien-fan-who-s-learned-to-speak-elvish-and-dwarvish
BBC News
Video experience headlines - BBC News
its a short documentation thing of this lady which is quite interesting
thats it :smiley:
and i love her outfit :smiley:
Varda - Yesterday at 4:58 PM
Anyone able to go to the exhibit, good luck to you and enjoy!
ArienV - Yesterday at 4:59 PM
Bruce and i will attend in two weeks time so i wont be here for that meeting
Varda - Yesterday at 5:00 PM
What a great reason.  : )

Back to change in Middle-earth. What were some of the major changes for the world? We mentioned a couple: the creation from a vision, the change from a flat earth to a round one.
Removing most all of Beleriand.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:02 PM
Elves leaving affected the other races as well, but we don't see much of that.
Varda - Yesterday at 5:03 PM
This may explain why the Elven Rings were primarily used to preserve elven lands rather than work on progress for them.
Good point. The other races may not have realized how much they were losing.
They traveled through the Shire and Sam noticed they were sailing away.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:04 PM
A sad thing indeed.
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 5:04 PM
That's what the Elves were interested in at that point: preserving.
Varda - Yesterday at 5:05 PM
They had lost so much in the changes, that they were clinging to what they had.
The dwarves had suffered a lot of loss too and attempted to regain the same places that had been lost. I wonder if they might have done better to improve their new places? Yet they did manage eventually to retake the Lonely Mountain.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:06 PM
Didn't they also take back Moria in the fourth age?
Varda - Yesterday at 5:06 PM
Only humans seemed to be making any real progress. No wonder they inherited the earth.
For a time, aye.
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:07 PM
I suppose humans didn't have as much to lose.
And what they did lose, was mostly beyond their control.
Varda - Yesterday at 5:07 PM
They may have had more, as their time was so short?
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:07 PM
Hmm, perhaps, but it might make them less attached.
Varda - Yesterday at 5:09 PM
We've hit the hour mark. Shall we turn people loose?
a hammer clutches tightly onto strings that lead to a mass of balloons
as the hammer drifts over the hammerpad, it lets go
thonnnk!
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After-meeting!
the hammer skitters back, wondering if the target painted on the hammerpad was still wet and is now on the hammer
ArienV - Yesterday at 5:12 PM
imagines colourful hammerprints all over the pad
Varda - Yesterday at 5:13 PM
hammerpad preens
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:33 PM
personal gaming report time?
Varda - Yesterday at 5:34 PM
ok

Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 5:38 PM
Right. I wasn't around much this week but did get to play 3 flashgames, so here they are :smiley:
https://www.kongregate.com/games/stupareidolia/pogo-gun-pogo is the first game! Odd little game wherein you play a car or whatever character you choose and see how far you can get, by jumping from platform to platform and dodging saws. You can jump, hover, dash, slam down, and maybe some other things I'm forgetting. I'm not quite sure how the different characters work, but you can collect coins, so maybe you can buy new ones?
Kongregate
Pogo Gun Pogo
Only 1% can make it past 2000m
Full game: http://www.studiopareidolia.com/pogo-gun-pogo/
Actually it looks like you might unlock new ones in stages just by collecting enough coins, and some appear to have bonuses.

http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/gunblood_2 (actually called Gunblood Remastered, it seems) is the second game. Short series of westerny style gunduels between the character you choose and the other characters, though that appears to be just cosmetic. Difficulty increased every level though.
Gunblood 2 - OneMoreLevel.com
Rather bloody, but if you don't mind that, try to see if you can make it to the end!

But for a less bloody killing game, have https://www.kongregate.com/games/mastermax/ultimate-assassin-3-level-pack as the third game; get to the target and escape while avoiding the guards, using energy for speed and stealth.
Kongregate
Ultimate Assassin 3: Level Pack
Level Pack features 25 new level designs amp 65 new missions.
Be an ultimate assassin in this stealth game. In every level, your mission is to kill the tar...
Get many achievements, multiple for each level :smiley:
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Blizzard gaming!
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 6:01 PM
Hearthstone:
Not much leveling progress as you can imagine. Interesting brawl, Gone Fishin', where you put 20 minions in your deck, get 10 random spells for your class, and fish up one of the enemy's minions to put on your board at the end of each turn.
Good way to deal with it is to bring some good battlecry cards, since those don't trigger by being fished. I did it with some druid Choose cards included, since the opponent only gets the standard card. I imagine rogue combo cards might be fun as well.
Ran into a warrior with the class card to replace the entire deck by discover cards, which was quite interesting as well, as it means you can't fish anything from it.
Heroes of the Storm:
No new levels either, though I did make some progress on the Nexomania quests. Should easily make it to the end before the event goes away.
Fun brawl, Trial Grounds, small-ish arena with everyone playing the same random hero and a random mechanic that activates partway through the game like an Immortal to protect, or a shield from periodic aoe.

ArienV - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
bedtime for me , friends :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
Fast, too :smiley:
Namarie!
ArienV - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
Namarie for now :smiley:

Pallando-Valar - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
aiya
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
Aiya!
Pallando-Valar - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
only.. 2 hours late
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 6:09 PM
's what reading up is for!

WoW:
Didn't think I'd have much to report, but still got a few nice things this weekend.
Nothing from the old raids, and only got to kill a few bosses in heroic Antorus, but I did get my third Argus trinket, this time the healing one. With only 2 upgrades left on the melee trinket, it's good to know I'll continue to have something to upgrade with the Blessing drops from that boss as well :smiley:
Weekly quest this week is battlegrounds, and rather than queue up for the big ones alliance usually stands a better chance of winning, or going for the rated battlegrounds when I still needed them for patterns and appearance, I just queued up randomly for a bit of extra honor as reward.
And with that, ended up in my first few Seething Shore battlegrounds!
Interesting bg, pretty small area with randomly spawning Azerite blocks, and a ship for each faction flying around that you jump from at the start, and respawn again when you get killed. Key is to collect 1500 Azerite, at 100 per block, before the enemy side does, by stopping them from harvesting while you harvest them yourself. Not sure about the right tactics yet, but since 2-3 tend to be always up or about to spawn (you get advance warning about their location) it's often easy enough to sneak up on some while the enemy is tied up at another.
There's also various achievements for it, and I got a bunch already, including harvesting within 30 seconds from landing (from the ship) and killing someone within 30 seconds from landing. We also got a 1500/1400 victory but, in contrast to things like Arathi Basin, there's no achievement for such a close win. Probably a good thing, you need to be quite lucky with them and people really dislike them. Still, if there was one, I'd have it now :smiley:
Also grabbed a Perfection achievement in Deepwind Gorge, a battleground introduced in late Mists of Pandaria, but I haven't played that bg much, so it's nice to get new stuff :smiley:
So yay for more achievements!
Didn't really have a chance to work on my bigger projects though, like the battlepet collecting. But I'll get back to the next week.
And that's my report, I think!

Varda - Yesterday at 6:47 PM
Thanks, Phar
Aiya Gorlim : )
Gorlim - Yesterday at 6:50 PM
heya
Ar-Pharazon-V - Yesterday at 7:18 PM
*back to that
and Aiya Gorlim :smiley:
Namarie!
Varda - Yesterday at 7:59 PM
Namarie
Eonwe Valar - Yesterday at 9:31 PM
I must be off officially. Take care all, good night, sleep well, and have fun.
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