Valar Guild

January 6, 2019 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern time (-5 GMT)
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.

Attending (and spoke): (3)
    Discord: Arien (presiding), Ar-Pharazon, Gorlim
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news
Web
Gaming:
    General report
Tolkien:
    Topic: Tolkien Moment at Bilbo and Frodo's birthday party.
After-meeting:
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon.
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Before-meeting
(times are in Central from Varda's Discord, so add one hour for Eastern. Example: 4pm Central in the transcript is 5pm Eastern)

Eonwe Valar12/31/2018
Heya All. Just popped in to say Happy New Year :}

January 1, 2019
Pallando-Valar01/01/2019
Happy new year all. :)

January 6, 2019
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:00 PM
It is that time again ! Anyone Present say  .. Illuvatar
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:00 PM
Aiya!
And I didn't even have to poke you :wink:
ehr, oh right
Illuvatar!
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:01 PM
Illuvatar!
Aiya Phari .. i am in rp but kind of left alone plotwise since the otheres are in ...err private scene ^^
so i ve got kind of time to be here
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:03 PM
...What kind of RP do you surround yourself with?
Actually, don't tell me :wink:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:03 PM
sometimes i ask myself that :stuck_out_tongue:
but well they are my friends  and my characters usually do not get involved :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:04 PM
Advisable :stuck_out_tongue:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:04 PM

anyhow Elen sila lumenn omentielvo!
A star shines upon the hour of our meeting
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:05 PM
Perhaps a sun, with you in charge!
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Membership:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:07 PM
Well our Starlady is wandering around and out of state and hence is not able to conduct this meeting. And the Messenger of Manwe is on the road as well as he usually is :smiley: Well, where else should a messenger be :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:07 PM
Well, he does need to take and leave his messages somewhere?
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:08 PM
so in plain text for the membership news: Eonwe and Varda  are not able to attend the meeting  or due to private matters. So you are stuck with me.
in other words: you and I are here :smiley:
and some lurkers at the side
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:10 PM
We see you!
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:11 PM
There are no web news tonight .. since Time shortage and holidays there have been no new items put up. Just a few new screenshots on new years eve on the screen shot tabs.
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:12 PM
pew pew fireworks!
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:12 PM
Uhu :smiley: they made a good impression and got in no trouble anywhere since i was completely peaceful :)#
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:13 PM
I guess it's a time to be tolerant of the other faction :smiley:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:14 PM
Uhm due to the holidays I did not spot any other Valar Guild members online
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:14 PM
Ah, but did we not play a game together? :wink:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:14 PM
Oh yes we played a game of Hearthstone together and you with a mean deck :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:15 PM
I'll have you know that is probably my least effective deck.
Lot of fun and random stuff in it though.
And I thought I was playing nice by having us switch decks at one point :smiley:
If mine's better than yours, slowly that's an improvement?
*surely
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:18 PM
yeah who knows
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:18 PM
(I appear to be my own personal autocorrect)
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:18 PM
it might have been nice :smiley:
wonder what you d have done with a simple noob mage deck there then hehe
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:19 PM
I don't even have that legendary in my deck normally, it's the reward for completing the dungeon with all classes and I'm only at 2 so far. It was just one of the random 5 spawned by Malch.
But I thought it was appropriate for our match.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:20 PM
it was very nice and fun anyway :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:20 PM
Yes, it was fun!
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:20 PM
i bought some cards for the gold as i had enough with that but nothing spectacular
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:20 PM
Aw.
Speaking of Hearthstone, my friendslist tells me Fladrif is online regularly as well, at least in the past week.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:22 PM
Well Helm was on Skye for the Holidays and was back to work today so i saw him online last night as well and twice during the last two weeks in the shop :smiley:
very good :smiley:
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Gaming:
Eonwe was so nice as usual and put the gaming news up

So let us start with Overwatch :smiley:
There the competitive  play season 14 has begun
https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/news/22833561/welcome-to-season-14-of-competitive-play
    Overwatch
    Overwatch is Blizzard’s team shooter for PC and consoles. Choose a hero from a diverse roster of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities, each with their own unique set of abilities. Bend time, defy physics, and unleash an array of extraordinary powers in concert wi...

Hearthstone:
The ranked season for January 2019 has begun.
https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/22817528/january-2019-ranked-play-season-just-chillin
    January 2019 Ranked Play Season – Just Chillin’
    The January 2019 Ranked Play Season is now live—and we’re unveiling a new card back you can add to your collection!
And an off Meta Report Wild Edition has begun whatever that is
Check out the Off-Meta Report Wild Edition has begun.
https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/22827635/off-meta-report-wild-edition-january-3-2019
    Off-Meta Report Wild Edition – January 3, 2019
    In this WILD season, try out some off-meta Legend rank Wild decks that have been performing exceptionally well!
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:29 PM
Wild = alternative to Standard, which means all expansion's sets are allowed rather than just the past 2 years + classic.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:29 PM
can you shed some light on that Phar?
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:30 PM
Off-Meta is.. well... things that aren't quite mainstream, I suppose, so with peculiar themes or combos or playstyles, with unusual cards used.
So the Off-Meta Report Wild Edition is a list of successful but unusual decks using cards from all of Hearthstone's lifespan, therefore allowing some wacky combinations and synergies.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:32 PM
Ah i understand :smiley: Very clear now :smiley: so something to play around with if you want
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:33 PM
Yep! Try it out (crafting cards needed if necessary) or take inspiration for it, or just be amused by what you don't expect to work.
*from it
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:33 PM
Aiya Gorlim :smile: Longtime no see :smile:
GorlimLast Sunday at 3:34 PM
Heya. I posted a bunch of photos in the screenshot area of my holiday output. If I’m not on let varda know she can move them around. [Note: added the links below.]
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/337353041907023874/531600600903974932/image0.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/337353041907023874/531600669334044682/image0.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/337353041907023874/531600779191255041/image0.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/337353041907023874/531600850292965386/image0.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/337353041907023874/531600921831014401/image0.jpg
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:35 PM
Looking at the screenshots... did you just paint a Saruman, animated movie style? :smiley: [Note: the last photo.]
GorlimLast Sunday at 3:35 PM
Hi. I drop in for a while but I got tire of doing the same thing in new zones in lotto
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:36 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qqgPa33mXU for reference :wink:
    YouTube
    r0batko
    Gandalf meets Saruman
GorlimLast Sunday at 3:36 PM
Nah just a test mini to see how the paints held to the 3 d printed resin
I’ve got a bunch of Runequest minis I’m having fun with
Heroforge resin is interesting
I contributed to a kickstarter and got a ton of minis
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:41 PM
oh these are nice
i like those
Right further up the chart

Heroes of the Storm:
there is a new patch out
https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/blog/22819178/heroes-of-the-storm-ptr-patch-notes-january-2-2019-2019-1-2/
    Heroes of the Storm
    Legendary heroes and villains from Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo are summoned to the Nexus. Choose your hero and prepare to fight in Heroes of the Storm!
on the Public Test realm and a new hero is coming out
Imperius .. certainly no stranger to those of us who play Diablo 3
.. a really sympathetic guy  ..
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:45 PM
...Yes, I remember him!
But being nice isn't required for joining Heroes of the Storm.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:45 PM
I am surprised that Tyrael didnt try to pull him with him :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:46 PM
Maybe he came looking for Tyrael and... what's her name. Auriel?
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:49 PM
yeah i think but never mind that next report for

Diablo 3 itself indeed
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:49 PM
I rather liked Imperius, to be honest. Sure, he wasn't nice, but he wasn't evil either. A true angel, focused on law and order.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:50 PM
Auriel was Filis would be flame wasnt she :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:50 PM
And more than willing to fight Diablo, of course.
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:50 PM
no that was Tauriel very similar name tho
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:50 PM
Hmm, was she? I still haven't seen Hobbit 3 yet...
ah, that does sound more familiar
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:52 PM
The Darkening of Tristram event is lasting now until the end of the month that is the 31st.
https://us.diablo3.com/en/blog/22855173/the-darkening-of-tristram-returns-january-3-1-3-2019
    Diablo III
    The Darkening of Tristram Returns January 3!
    Our anniversary event is fast approaching! Prepare to face mysterious cultists and enter a portal into Diablo's past.
I have to check that out at some point .. sounds interesting
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:53 PM
I went through the whole thing 2 years ago when it first happened. Got all the achievements and rewards, including the secret ones.
As far as I can tell, there has been nothing new added since.
But if you  haven't done it, go for it, it's quite fun :smiley:
ArienVLast Sunday at 3:55 PM
okay cool will do :smiley:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 3:56 PM
https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/diablo-anniversary-event-complete-guide is useful, to know where to find what on which level of the anniversary dungeon, as well as any rewards that are out of the way.
    Icy Veins
    Diablo Anniversary Event Complete Guide
    A detailed guide to the rewards you can obtain during the annual Diablo Anniversary Event.
Just exploring probably won't get you there.

ArienVLast Sunday at 3:57 PM
Last but not leas World of Warcraft:
okay thanks PHari :smiley:
Darkmoon Faire begins today and ends January 12th stroke midnight
Then something for you Cala
The raid release schedule preview is released for the Battle of Dazar Alor :smiley:
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/22839056/battle-of-dazar-alor-raid-preview-and-schedule
    World of Warcraft
    Battle of Dazar’alor Raid Preview and Schedule - WoW
    The Battle of Dazar’alor provides unique encounters for both the Horde and the Alliance—and lets you participate in the conflict from your enemy’s perspective—as the war makes its way to the heart of the Zandalari empire.
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:02 PM
Ah yes! Going to be interesting to switch factions for part of it.
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:02 PM
like you did in The timewarped Stratholme thing  ?
even as horde we turned into Alliance for that
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:03 PM
Even more, since you get the other side's racial abilities as well.
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:03 PM
nice one maybe you need them for some special tactics for some fightx
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:04 PM
Would be a nice touch, but you can't exactly know which races specifically you're bringing to the raid.
You could have a raid without bloodelves or trolls or orcs or whatever.
Since which race switches to which race is fixed.
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:04 PM
aha
right and this is the end of the official gaming report
[Note: the LotRO report came later. Here's the link.]
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Tolkien:
Now do you have an idea for a Tolkien topic or game or meeting :)?
or moment i mean?
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:13 PM
There might be a core of an idea somewhere in our talk about the D3 angels and alignment etc... but that'd probably be better with more people. So feel free to do a game or something :smiley:
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:21 PM
mmh i kno what you mean thought about start of New uear in Middlearth but looking alone at the shire calendar at this time gives me a headache eheh .. that has to be prepared decently and researched rather than just out of the books
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:22 PM
All I remember is that there is no such thing as Friday the First :wink:
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:22 PM
but i have a Tolkien moment which celebrates something and involves a bit of a drink :smiley:
Not very long maybe but appropriate
It is directly after Bilbo's "vanishing trick" at his birthday party :smiley:
Describing the reactions of the attendees in the party tent
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:26 PM
rabble rabble rabble...
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:31 PM
"But old Rory Brandybuck was not so sure. Neither age nor an enormous dinner  had clouded his wits, and he said to his daughter-in - law Esmeralda. "There is something fishy in this, my dear! I believe that mad BAggins is off again. Silly old fool. But why worry? He hasnt taken the vittles with him." He called loudly to Frodo to send the wine round again"
quote end
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:32 PM
No need to waste a good party just because the host goes missing.
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:37 PM
indeed :smiley: i like this guy :smiley:

anything else to add ?
Else ..
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:38 PM
Happy new year!
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:38 PM
Happy new year Valar Guild :smile:
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:38 PM
:champagne:
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:40 PM
stands before the gavel rack ..l tries to pick up the gavel .. but lo .. the gavel thinks it is a firework rocket and shoots up straight in the air sparks many colored sparks then returns in an elegant bow to  the gavel rack
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Aftermeeting!
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:51 PM
Personal gaming report!

ArienVLast Sunday at 4:52 PM
Nota Bene: I apologize for missing out on the LotrO report .. i completely forgot and my sincere apologies
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:52 PM
oh, go ahead :smiley:
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:52 PM
maybe Varda can add that
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 4:53 PM
You could do it here if you want, otherwise I'll go ahead.
ArienVLast Sunday at 4:55 PM
okay right i dont have much but i can add the player list just let me find the names
Ithil :
Falco
Dis
Walda
Arien
Varda

Anor:
Varda
Dis
Arien
Nar
Mirabella
Bregalad
Thranduil
Eonwe
That is the list i can provide :smiley:
Phari go ahead

Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 5:14 PM
Right, for flashgaming, I did have 3, but one of them appears to be unfinished, but I've got an alternative lined up.
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 5:30 PM
https://www.kongregate.com/games/damijin/pyro is the first! Shoot fireballs, experiment with the trajectory, light up all the torches.
    Kongregate
    Pyro
    Burn!
    Burn it all!
Some of them are really hard to ace, but otherwise it's pretty simple.

Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 5:49 PM
Right, enough of messing around with that game.. next!
http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/dumb_ways_to_die_hospital is... well... I'm not sure. Part of a series, probably? Because I can't find any ways to die in the hospital
    Dumb Ways to Die Hospital - OneMoreLevel.com
Treat some simplistically figured characters in the hospital and other stuff. Maybe someone can figure it out? Looks cute though
There are a few mini-games involving specific patients though, which can be fun.

http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/dandelion is the third, and my favorite for this week, though!
    Dandelion - OneMoreLevel.com
Blowing around a small creature hanging from a dandelion, using swipes to blow wind in specific directions.
You've got five swipes for each section, and if you fail, you just start at that section again.
Get the little guy home!
Oh, and don't let him touch walls or bees along the way.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll probably only need 2-3 swipes for every part.
Well, most parts.

ArienVLast Sunday at 6:06 PM
time for me to go to bed Phari
Namarie all
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 6:07 PM
Alright, but give it a try
Namarie!

Blizzard gaming:
Heroes of the Storm:
Done with the first round of the winter boardgame event, got all the special rewards. Still moving across the board to collect some extra lootboxes from stickers and rounds, but the die is not cooperating well.
I'll just keep doing quests until the event ends and see if I can grab any other rewards, but I've not got my eye set on any further rounds across the board.
Level 327 now, so one level got. Pretty sure Morales was the one to level, there. Brawl was the Punisher arena, where I got stuck with some heroes I've never played before; it was my first attempt at both Uther and Alarak. Still, got em all finished, though with losses.
That arena is not a good place to learn new heroes
Then again, if win or loss doesn't matter, maybe it is?
Starcraft II:
Been doing more fights for the war chest! Unlocked the first 4 tiers now, and only need 2 more matches for the fifth tier. After that it's waiting for the next phase to open up in about 10 days.
Hearthstone:
Met Arien for a game, as we talked about earlier  All classes well over halfway to next level now. Tavern brawl was about decks with a lot of Hallucination cards in them, cards which give you new cards from your opponent's class. So it made for interesting combinations of the two classes, though luck was needed
Also had a quest to win 3 dungeon fights, which I attempted with a priest this time. I'm not sure if the deck I've been building through the first 3 fights and their rewards has been very optimal, and I probably won't get very far. But I did get the 3 wins, though almost failing on the third one, a bit silly.
Needed a lot of luck to turn it around and not need another run from 0 just to finish my third win for the quest
WoW:
Raiding started again, in Uldir for now until the new raid comes in. First raid in nearly a month, and it really showed, with people getting used to new talents from 8.1 and picking up a few pieces of gear from the new warfront. While the new gear season hasn't started yet, it was easier to grab a few new ilevel 385 pieces. So the bosses died quickly, and we were at 6/8 heroic after one day.
Winter Veil's over now, and I wrapped it up for myself by buying the See You Later bundle on January 1st (just to mess with quarterly profit numbers, in case that was part of the reason they provided the bundle). So now I've got 3 new pets (4 if you count both versions of the moonkin hatchling, though each one can only be summoned by a specific faction), 2 mounts, and 3 weird transmog hats I'll probably never find a use for. Moonkin hatchling is cute, and dances with you, and is fun to have when you're in  moonkin form yourself. XT-pet is nice too, though I'm not sure if you're the only one who hears his quote when you spawn him, or if it annoys the raid around you...
of the new mounts, my favorite is the Grinning Reaver, a ravager mount which is supposedly based on the Laughing Skull clan in the Draenor expansion. But even on the night elf it looks good, and it flies! The glowing tail is a bit weird, though.
And I got one more new pet this week, from expeditions, a Laughing Stonekin, an elemental pet as we know from Pandaria. Looks pretty nice.
Weekly was timewalks. Had some fun with em, too, and luckily not a very difficult one on my warrior tank alt. For the other timewalks I do, I don't really care about difficulty since I can handle it with my druid tank or the dps demon hunter  With the druid, over 19k timewarped badges now. Should be at least 20k when the new WoD event and badge vendor come around.
More world quests, a few paragon caches, no rewards there. Pet battle world quests for the achievements are still going well, though I hope I don't need to level too many more pets, since I'm spending more pet charms on that than I'm getting. I've now got 100% on aquatic, completed enough for the achievement on critter (and only one remaining for dragon), and got started on humanoid with a few tamers. Such progress should go well over the next few weeks, and then probably die down as I finish with some of the tamers.
Also did more world quests in Arathi for service medals, and with Darkshore opening up for alliance soon alongside it, I should easily get enough medals for the Krolusk mount later this week! And do I love krolusks, indeed
And finally, more story questing, when time allowed. Cleared out Nazmir, or at least the few quests that were available for alliance as well. This included a questline with some Tortollans which I actually went through on new year's eve, and another questline around a temple of Bwonsamdi. I'm not even that invested in Zandalari or loa lore, but the last quest of that line was pretty moving.
And I finished it up with a quest to summon a rare mob all the way in the south of the zone, by lighting some braziers. Completing that quest apparently unlocked another pet on some horde vendors, but unless I sneak into a horde base to buy it from a Tortollan (one of those I helped out earlier this week, even) I'll have to unlock that one vendor I talked about last week, first.
I mean, the sneaking is possible, but I'd still rather wait. I don't have the charms right now anyway
Next on my list is finally starting the war campaign chapter from 8.0, long overdue. We'll see how far we get...
And that's my report for the week!
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 6:58 PM
(honestly, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oljYw3s7uM look at those little legs! Only 3-4 more days...)
    YouTube
    Wowhead
    Azureshell Krolusk Mount
Ar-Pharazon-VLast Sunday at 7:05 PM
namarie!
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