W00 H00 Time to Shoot Hookers!!!...?

GTA IV comes out today kids, but you already knew that. Jack Thompson is on the rampage again. You probably already guessed that. Hot coffee? Nah, he doesn't need that this time around. This time, IGN supplies the juice by means of pre-release vid. There's nothing really here that wasn't in the others except it is ratcheted up a notch and shown back to back. Hookers and strippers, hit and runs and drive bys. Nothing here to see kids.

I'm a free speech kinda guy but honestly, I really hope that when the newsies write their inevitable stories tomorrow about how the games biz is taking Hollyw00t for a ride, they don't have too many lines about how we are destroying the yewts. Hate to say Jack is right, kinda, but this stuff really ain't for kids. I'm pretty sure I'll get an extra day in heck for saying that.

Campaign Stats

We've been mulling over the campaigns and some upcoming rule changes in the office as we are wont to do and Bloo put together some nice charts I though I would share. The info from these is readily available at Battleground Tools.

Victories:

Average Campaign Length: All-Time: 36 Days
Moving Average Currently: ~42 Days

All-Time Total: 49
Axis: 29 (60%)
Allied: 19 (39%)
Truce: 1 (2%)
(Percentages rounded)

Last 10 Campaigns (back to 2/21/2007, during which 1.25 was released):
Axis: 3 (30%)
Allied: 6 (60%)
Truce: 1 (10%)

This shows the winners and losers of each of the campaigns and how long they lasted. We use this to cross check with RDP cycle times and what not and of course look for trends. Of course charts can;t ever tell the whole tale as they don;t cover things like morale but they are interesting. Longer campaigns tend to be won by the Axis. Shorter campaigns tend to be won by the Axis. Since ToEs the Allies have had their first real strings of victories. I love pondering these types of numbers. What are your thoughts?

Thanks to Bloo for the data.

20 Reasons Not to Play D&D 4e

The guys at Topless Robot have an awesome take on some of the changes for DD4E. I'd been following it lightly and planning on running a game around the office when it comes out but...

No Half-Orcs? No Bards? No half naked Succubus on p.230 of the DM Guide? WTF!

The read is a nice little romp through the nostalgia for some of the finer points of DD1E. Sure I won't miss THAC0 but if I can't continue the legacy of Grukk the Half-Orc barbarian and his faithful pal Piffin Fandershall, Gnone Illusionist, well then, I just don't think I'll play. Maybe it's time for more Hackmaster...

Thanks for the link Bloo.
Topless Robot - A 20-Point Letter of Protest Regarding the New 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons (from a Gnome and a Half-Orc)

All I want for Christmas...

Is a PAINTBALL TANK!!1! Utter brilliance. This guys takes DIY to glorious new heights. I think they can pretty much just stop Maker Faire at this point. No more crocheted Flying Spaghetti Monsters needed TYVM. Thanks to Bloo and Ahwulf for the linkage.

WWIIOL Damage Video

This is an oldie but a goodie recently redone with some voice over by our resident croc wrangler, a.k.a. DOC. This video really shows the guts of the sim, showcasing our damage and ballistics. You'll notice no hitpionts or look up tables are used. This, gentlemen, is the real deal. We'll be redoing this with the new graphics engine upgrade and the new models in the near future.