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Saturday, September 27, 2003
THE DOMINANT FORCE IN SPACE MERCHANT REALMS: TREX MERCENARIES (42) Message of Day | Roster | Send Message | Message Board | Planets | Forces | Options | List Alliances Soldiers of Fortune for Fun and Profit, http://tm.antietem.com Alliance Name Total Experience Average Experience Number of Members Trex Mercenaries 934,018 31,133 30 Current Members Trader Name Race Experience 1 Ukhata (407) Alskant 71983 2 DarkSoul (94) Ik'Thorne 64329 3 Voltar (133) Human 61570 4 Lexantrader (522) Salvene 55669 5 Psycho (706) WQ Human 55628 6 CTRTAO (340) Salvene 51203 7 Torgo (574) Human 46770 8 Maverick (718) WQ Human 46036 9 Qualtain (473) Human 41663 10 Deth O\'Kay (613) Salvene 36859 11 Captain Dread (466) Alskant 35955 12 Bink (409) Thevian 34519 13 The Green Phox (363) Human 34028 14 Aurum (679) Ik'Thorne 33724 15 Tha killer (301) Ik'Thorne 32939 16 Overlord (286) WQ Human 32879 17 El Mariachi (155) WQ Human 31533 18 CooPs (626) Nijarin 29658 19 Page (318) Alskant 28566 20 Tenstar (446) Thevian 26312 21 Wasupi (97) Alskant 20079 22 Terl (140) Salvene 19200 23 Hellion (1200) Human 18476 24 Jeezys (1198) Creonti 6481 25* crector (241) Human 6389 26 Ublic (1233) Human 4300 27 Relichunter (432) WQ Human 3553 28 emperor squirrel (1252) Thevian 1728 29 Naismith (1272) Human 1102 30 TyrAnasazi (1070) WQ Human 887 Just concluded conv with Naismith: QwertyMIDX: hey, It's Naismith CharlesRector: hello QwertyMIDX: How's things? CharlesRector: fine QwertyMIDX: Is there anything I should read frist? I'm doing Strategy now. CharlesRector: Just read it at your leisure now that you're donw with Contact Info. QwertyMIDX: ok QwertyMIDX: I haven't played this game forever, I think it was still Space Merchant when I was last involed, I could use a crash course in tactics. CharlesRector: Well, you seem to be doing fairly well so far. QwertyMIDX: I guess, I'm not doing to well in money terms CharlesRector: http://www.smrealms.de/manual.php QwertyMIDX: yeah I read most of it CharlesRector: As you play, more and more of it should come back to you. Under what name did you play in the past? QwertyMIDX: Naismith QwertyMIDX: I only played 2 rounds CharlesRector: ok CharlesRector: what alliances were you in? QwertyMIDX: I don't even remeber what it was called QwertyMIDX: this was all at least 2 years ago QwertyMIDX: Ah, my better half has arrivied I must take my leave. But first one question, should I trade in Race Galaxies or somewhere else? CharlesRector: Race Galaxies QwertyMIDX: ok CharlesRector: In your home race galeaxy QwertyMIDX: Ok, thats what I've been doing CharlesRector: good QwertyMIDX: Ok, thanks a lot man, cya CharlesRector: no problem Handy Gamers's E-Mail Addresses: Archer456@aol.com, petrocanada415@hotmail.com, spacecowboy530@email.com, netsystems@yahoo.com, OmegasGlory@ameritech.net, MoyBean@hotmail.com, phlexus_uk@yahoo.co.uk, twa0979@yahoo.com, hypno@willowstrance.com, JHGreenwood@attbi.com, thureen@yahoo.com, death_legacy666@hotmail.com, kaylina.geo@yahoo.com, zeonack@hotmail.com, matuga10@hotmail.com, crector@yahoo.com, Brads@neweratec.com Friday, September 26, 2003
OUT OF THE LAB, ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD Take command of the most lethal top-secret weapons of World War II. Straight from the labs, many of these weapons never saw combat ... until now! Unleash their explosive potential for the first time on the battlefields of WWII. With the Secret Weapons of WWII Expansion Pack, you will... * Put experimental vehicles to the test, including the rocket pack and the Wasserfall guided rocket. * Take the war to secret places with eight new battles from confidential files of WWII. * Embark upon new objective-based missions -- complete special assignments or die trying. * Arm yourself with deadly new weapons, including the Auto 5 shotgun and one-shot kill knives. * Enter the field of combat as new secret forces: British Commando or German Elite. **Requires Battlefield 1942 to play. Download and play the FREE Secret Weapons of WWII multiplayer demo! Challenge Everything ©2003 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Feedback *Offer expires on September 30, 2003. Good only for new purchases of "Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII". Good only for STANDARD shipping service to US or CANADA. Valid only at the EA Store at www.eastore.ea.com. Offer may not be substituted, exchanged, sold or redeemed for cash or other goods or services. Valid only in U.S. and CANADA. May not be combined with any other offer, gift card, rebate or discount coupon. Product subject to availability. Retailers, distributors and employees of Electronic Arts Inc. and their agencies/affiliates are not eligible. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Limit one offer per person. Please know that at EA GAMES, we don't want to send you information you don't want to receive. If you no longer want us to contact you, please click here to quickly be removed from our mailing list or to change your preferences. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SST-Alternate/ I just wanted to notify everyone that a NEW site of importance has been created. This is not just another Kat bashing site as has been seen in the past, but a really creative and possibly longer lasting news type of approach. This was actually on my list of ideas to Ray, but I thought it would never fly. I was wrong! Now if Ray would just delete the communications menu mail - things could really get BETTER or WORSE - but in any case I like change. I would encourage everyone who is interested in such to join that one and change their preferences to NO EMAIL on this one to limit chatter coming to your inbox. YOU CAN ALWAYS BOOKMARK THIS SITE for when major development occurs and you need to check something out. I don't know whether Ray will ever see, visit, or care about the other site. I don't know if his explicit permission is needed. As I don't OWN SST I can't comment. I think however, that Ray will approve. Just thought you should know soonest as it is really an interesting site from my perspective. After looking at it - I joined!!! (with the no E-mail option set as the spammer will probably attack that site soon : ( Your Friend, Kat Following is an email from Omega Prime dated July 16th, 2003: My AIM name is Omega Prime X ; My ICQ # is 55410896 Alliance Rules 1) DON'T REPLY TO MESSAGES WHILE TRADING/HUNTING! 2) Know everybody who hunts/trades in your area and when they usually play. (use scouts and mines when trading/hunting) 3) Know who is on the current players list. 4) Save enough money to replace your ship. 5) Use MIRC any time your on-line, AIM & ICQ will do if you cant use MIRC. mirc = www.babel-online.DK (6667) room #OF 6) Anybody who is not active for more than 10 days will be removed from the alliance. 7) Thieves and Spys will not be tolerated. They will be found and distroyed. 8) Everybody needs to trade and build planets untill you are level 15. 9) DON'T park on any planets under construction level 30. 10) Fighting/Hunting or Planet Busting/Port Raiding should be done in groups. DON'T do busts/raids alone. 11) All Planet Busts/Port Raids should be scheduled 3 days ahead of time. Heaven opened, and behold a white horse: and he that sat up on him was called Faithfull and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He is the Wrath of God. And he spoke, saying "I am the Omega, the last of all things." And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Saying, "We are the Alpha and the Omega, the fisrt and the last, the begining and the ending, which is, which was, and which is yet to come, by the power of the Almighty." *****Omega Prime & The Omega Factor***** Here come Omega Factor * We come groovin' up slowly * We got righteous power * We all holy rollers * We go money up to our knees * Got to be a joker * We just do what we please * (guitar sounds: vam vum vum vam voom voom vam voom voom vam vum) * We wear no pretense * We got no remorse * We got massive shotguns * We shoot everybody * We say I know you and you know me * One thing I can tell you is we got to be free * Come together * Right now * Over me * (guitar sounds: vam vum vum vam voom voom vam voom voom vam vum) * We bag production * We got gient gunships * We got perfect teamwork * We are spinal crackers * We got money up to our knees * Hold you at our gun point you can feel our degrees * Come together * Right now * Over me * (guitar sounds: vam vum vum vam voom voom vam voom voom vam vum) * We roller coaster * We got early warning * We got scaners systems * We are mojo killers * We say One and One and One is three * Got to be cloacked because were so hard to see * Come together * Right now * Over me. History of SC1 Spacecow1 7/14/2003 4:30:36 PM Name: Chuck Call sign: Spacecow1 Race: Ik'Thorne Height: 6'6 Weight: 245 Spacecow1 a longtime member of the IK ruling council felt that this was not his calling, his family all served there, and it was his time to do it. His family has a long line of blueblood, some say that his ancestors started the first ruling council, so it just seemed to fit into place that he should go into politics and rule like all members of his family have. One day, when he was young he sneak out of his home (The ruling council's) castle and went into the marketplace, there he herd tales of the stars and other planets, ports, pirates. This sparked interest in the young boy’s heart. He went home and did some research, and found that the men he over heard talking were "Space Merchants" He felt this was his calling. After he graduated form Bak'le`va university, with a diploma in Leadership/diplomacy, he got a galactic semi from his father as a gift, he was to go and take a vacation, and fly around the galaxies' just to see what was there, his father felt it would give him an edge in the council if he did this. Spacecow1 did this, but it turned sour for his parents when he liked the travel, he refused to take up the presidency of the council, and worked as a cabinet member to another family, His parents all but disowned him. Reaching out he joined a group called The South Side Solders, there under the guidance of Daredevil he became familiar with the ways of being a "Space Merchant", soon after Daredevil took him to an alliance called WillowsTrance. There he learned even more under the teachings of a man named Fate. Using his new connections he headed up WTR(WillowsTrance Recruiting) There he was a teacher for many newcomers, as he was still learning himself this was a job and a half. With his leadership, and the help of some great members WTR was a success. With the upbringing of WTR's success there was a great war, WT and several other alliances. Spacecow1 managed to get WTR straight in the ordeal, and took several of the members of WTR, and broke away to form his own alliance. This alliance was Honor Bound. He had a dream, and with the help of a few select members of WTR and a few close friends, it was created, and is doing very well. Spacecow1 in the future plans to lead HonorBound through years of prosperity, and hopes that his name and the name of his alliance will live on in people’s minds, and hearts forever. --------------- Old School (29) 1/10/2001 19:45 6/10/2001 23:00 Veteran View Rankings Alliance Omega Factor (113) 15 members We are Alpha and Omega, the begining and the ending, the first and the last, which is,which was, and and which is to come, by the power of the Almighty God. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Leader: Lone Wolf Total Experience: 378,800 Average Experience: 25,253 Current Members Trader Name Race Experience 1 Lieutenant Commander Keys (904) Human 58780 2 Lieutenant Commander Omega Prime (174) Creonti 57722 3 Lieutenant 2nd Class GreyHeart (942) WQ Human50116 4 Lieutenant Jr. Grade Atlan (395) Creonti 41608 5 Master Warrant Officer Randy Orsolo (436) WQ Human 8826 6 Chief Warrant Officer OmegasGlory (134) Creonti 30904 7 Warrant Officer Thureen (68) Creonti 27202 8 Warrant Officer Drunar (909) WQ Human26477 9 Ranger Icedude (486) Human 16683 10 Pilot Collective (944) Creonti 10816 11 Pilot Apprentice rathar kalinger (725) Salvene 6416 12 Ensign Firestorm (108) Salvene 5781 13 Chief Petty Officer Lone Wolf (522) Human 2930 14 Chief Petty Officer Topflappen (914) Salvene 2820 15 Petty Officer Petrograd (896) Alskant 1719 --------------- The Interregnum (27) 12/8/2000 12:00 6/8/2001 00:00 Veteran Alliance Omega Factor (26) 24 members We are Alpha and Omega, the begining and the ending, the first and the last, which is,which was, and and which is to come, by the power of the Almighty God. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Leader: Icedude Total Experience: 1,312,929 Average Experience: 54,705 Current Members Trader Name Race Experience 1 The Boss Thureen (183) Creonti 775255 2 Staff Commander Omegas Glory (225) Creonti 81009 3 Staff Commander Firestorm 184) Salvene 76966 4 Lieutenant Commander Icedude (230) Human 61005 5 Lieutenant Jr. Grade Atlan (375) Creonti 40889 6 Master Warrant Officer spaceassasin (770) Human 34300 7 Chief Warrant Officer Petrograd (1025) Alskant 33128 8 Chief Warrant Officer Punisher (226) Salvene 29749 9 Warrant Officer Omega Prime (220) Creonti 25471 10 Wing Leader StarFox (678) Alskant 21279 11 Chief Ranger Drunar (1033) WQ Human 20524 12 Ranger Randy Orsolo (490) WQ Human 15803 13 Ranger Veuve Cliquot (1056) Alskant 15540 14 Scout Phlexus (59) Creonti 12530 15 Scout Grand Admiral Thrawn (553) Human 12330 16 Pilot ZeoNack (289) Salvene 11952 17 Pilot StarWolf (695) Alskant 11359 18 Pilot Graduate crector (1045) Human 9145 19 Pilot Apprentice The Microsoft Machine (250) Salvene 6495 20 Ensign Picard (734) Ik'Thorne 5330 21Ensign dakilla (407) Thevian 5310 22 Master Petty Officer Oblivian (772) Creonti 3830 23 Master Petty Officer Chad (558) Creonti 3544 24 Freshman Recruit Spacecow1 (842) Creonti 186 --------------- The Big Bang (1) 9/18/1999 18:00 1/1/2000 00:00 Veteran (Second Spacemerchat Reset) Alliance Omega Factor (62) 19 members We are the end of one era and the begining of the next. We walk in Willows shadow and await her return. Leader: Tiger Total Experience: 187,737 Average Experience: 9,880 1 Chief Warrant Officer GoffyOdGoat (667) Salvene 30965 2 Warrant Officer Omega Prime (406) Creonti 25391 3 Wing Leader Tiger (169) Salvene 24606 4 Wing Leader Daredevil (229) Thevian 24324 5 Scout Kool-aid (338) Creonti 12307 6 Scout Omega's Glory (190) Human 12290 7 Pilot Randy Orsolo (299) Alskant 11757 8 Pilot Achilies (547) Creonti 11329 9 Pilot Apprentice Icedude (711) Salvene 6234 10 Ensign Death Raven (413) Human 5596 11 Ensign FACE (436) Salvene 5188 12 Master Petty Officer WarDog (537) Creonti 3928 13 Master Petty Officer Stefan Zagny (230) Ik'Thorne 3336 14 Chief Petty Officer Link Hunter (489) WQ Human 3197 15 Petty Officer Pickle (432) WQ Human 2291 16 Petty Officer Shnuff Z (497) Ik'Thorne 2194 17 Navigator CommanderCool (447) Thevian 1079 18 Junior Recruit White Fang (420) Human 962 19 Junior Recruit ElyPVC (314) Creonti 763 Latest DarkFlare Conv: DarqFlare: No reply back from Jodie McIntyre DarqFlare: Have you looked at OMGN Apparel yet? CharlesRector: yes CharlesRector: I doubt that you'll ever hear back from her. DarqFlare: So do I. Oh well. DarqFlare: I've got an OMGN bumper sticker on the way, gonna see if it prints right and all. It should. CharlesRector: Why not publish your email to her as an Open Letter on OMGN? DarqFlare: Naah. CharlesRector: why not? It would put them on the defensive. DarqFlare: Oh, that's what you meant. DarqFlare: I might. DarqFlare: Have you looked at Eclipse Prime's data in OMGN yet, the custom HTML data? CharlesRector: will right now DarqFlare: K. DarqFlare: It's awesome. DarqFlare: The HTML Codes system I built is pretty advanced. CharlesRector: Yes, that does look good...any interest thus far? DarqFlare: Not yet, but I imagine it may take awhile to pick up. DarqFlare: Our page views have slumped the past few days, but our visits are still good. CharlesRector: Why would page views have gone down? DarqFlare: Not quite sure. DarqFlare: Maybe it was jsut yesterday.. Yesterday was a down day. DarqFlare: We should still break 40k page views this month Welcome to the OMGN Newsletter! Enjoy this edition of the OMGN newsletter. If you would like to remove yourself from the OMGN Newsletter, go to this address and enter your email address: http://www.omgn.com/newsletter.php You can also change your newsletter type by visiting the aforementioned newsletter page. OMGN is dedicated to bringing you all that you need for online multiplayer games. Take a visit to http://www.omgn.com/ soon, if you haven't lately. If you have any suggestions for the OMGN Newsletter, email them to rfludwick@omgn.com ============================================================ Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Strive for Power (Current Top Games Leader) ------------------------- Developer: Peter Lindstroem Genre: RPG Platform: Multiple Interface: Browser Style: Tick Based Cost: Free Status: Commercial ESRB: Not Rated SfP is a online web browser/Text based game with some 2d graphics, no plugin needed. You start out with a party of 5 adventures. Your goals could be to explore the vast world, dungeons solve quests find uniq items and much more. Date: 9:48AM, August 26, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/gamesdirectory.php?Item_ID=205 Game Address: http://sfp.plit.dk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Saiyans Planet (Random Game) ------------------------- Developer: Not Listed Genre: RPG Platform: Multiple Interface: Browser Style: Other Cost: Free Status: Beta ESRB: Not Rated This game is based on a cartoon program called Dragon ball Z. It's a good vs evil RPG text game. Date: 8:35PM, August 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/gamesdirectory.php?Item_ID=90 Game Address: http://groups.msn.com/saiyansplanets/home.htm ============================================================ News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Purge Jihad Open Beta ------------------------- Purge Jihad Open Beta 5 Build 1.8D is ready for download. This should finally fix the Drone crash bugs. This is the first Open Beta of Jihad. The more players, the better the balance. Purge Jihad has an extensive number of new skills and weapons. This beta only tests that, thus it only 15MB. It also have gibs/limb-loss and 5 minute Portal protection. Other features for Purge Jihad such as the Deities, the Altar, and the new prayer system are NOT in this beta. The new weapons and skills such as the UA-12 Drone need extensive balancing, please post bugs or balance issues to the Purge forums ASAP. Purge Jihad will be released September 30th. ftp://purge-download:f1n4l@204.92.71.72/PurgeJihadBeta1.8D.zip [Instructions] 1. Make sure you have Purge 1.4.0 patched to Purge 1.4.7. Go to http://www.purgeonline.net and get the 1.4.7 patch if you don't have it already. 2. Simply decompress this PurgeJihadBeta.zip into your Purge directory. It decompresses a file called PURGEMOD.REZ. 3. This beta runs for 1 week. When it is over, simply delete the PURGEMOD.REZ file and Purge will revert back to 1.4.7. A server is up to test this beta. Remember to report back issues. Reporter: Charles Date: 4:40PM, September 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1272 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Film Threat Newsletter ------------------------- FILM THREAT.com "Truth in Entertainment" -- The leading source on REAL Independent films since 1985 -- Take 36 : September 8, 2003 http://www.filmthreat.com "We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw. Does that sound 'fine'?" - Evil Dead II (1987) TUNNEL VISION - OPEN CALL FOR FILMS! The first annual Michigan Independent Film Festival, October 3-9, will take place at the incredible Emagine Theatre in Novi. With a full bar, exciting events, and after-parties, expect a high volumes of viewers! FILMMAKERS, SUBMIT YOUR FILM TODAY!!! DEADLINE: Sept. 15! Visit our website for details! http://www.lefthandfilms.net RIGHT NOW on FilmThreat.com: ============================== PETE JONES IS BACK! Last year's Project Greenlight winner Pete Jones is making a new film called "Doubting Riley." Pete shares his personal diary giving us insight into life after Project Greenlight. Visit FilmThreat.com each week for the next exciting entry (or depressing entry, depending on how you look at it) in... PETE JONES’ "DOUBTING RILEY" DIARY! --> INTERVIEWS! Bruce Campbell on "Bubba Ho-Tep" --> FEATURES! The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth --> Plus, as always… TONS OF INDIE FILM REVIEWS! Visit the site for these stories, tons of reviews and more! ======================================== THIS ISSUE "Right here, right now" ============================== --> FILM THREAT POLL: Voting is your right --> BOX OFFICE: Who's number one? --> BIG SCREEN: Brutally honest reviews --> INDIE THREAT: Indie and Underground reviews CLASSIFIEDS "If you advertise, they will come" ======================================== ADVERTISE IN FILM THREAT! As low as $175 for a 50 word classified! Reach 100,000 film fanatics in our newsletter and 300,000 readers on our site generating 15 million hits a month. Indie filmmakers and festivals get discounts. E-mail advertise@filmthreat.com or get more details at: http://www.filmthreat.com/Advertise.asp SELL YOUR FILM TO HOLLYWOOD BUYERS! HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL(R) - October 15 to 20 in Hollywood! The HOLLYWOOD FILM CONFERENCE - October 17,18,19. A three day event that provides GREAT NETWORKING opportunities and access to AGENTS, DISTRIBUTORS, and FINANCIERS among other established Hollywood executives. Discount of 50% - ONLY $295. Or get our HFF VIP PASS (50% OFF - ONLY $645). It gives you access to film screenings, film conference and the prestigious HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS(R) GALA CEREMONY. All Film Threat members GET 50% OFF. REGISTER TODAY! CALL 310.288.1882 or visit: http://www.hollywoodfilmfestival.com BERMUDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2004 - CALL FOR ENTRIES A film festival in paradise? Yes, it’s true. The Bermuda International Film Festival is looking for independent features, documentaries and shorts for its seventh festival, March 19-25, 2004. Deadline: November 1, 2003. Entry forms at www.bermudafilmfest.com. Entries to: Bermuda International Film Festival, P.O. Box HM 2963, Hamilton, Bermuda, HM MX. http://www.bermudafilmfest.com FILM THREAT SEEKS INTERNS GET COLLEGE CREDIT! VALUABLE EXPERIENCE! MOVIE PASSES! Film Threat seeks reliable interns to assist on specific, projects. Interns will meet with and report to Chris Gore and to Film Threat Project Manager, Shannon Shull, ranging from once a week to twice a month to get training and assignments. Most work can be done from home and will involve working online. Will average about 10 hours a week. Job Requirements: Intern must be reliable, eager to learn and internet savvy. *Must have a computer with internet access, preferably a fast connection! Should have reliable transportation in order to attend meetings. Please send an email to with cover letter and resume, to the attention of Shannon Shull, Film Threat Project Manager. E-mail: input@filmthreat.com NYCHFF - CALL FOR ENTRIES! The 2nd annual NEW YORK CITY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL announces its call for entries for 2003. New York's original horror film festival is proud to announce that the event will expand to five days taking place October 22-26, 2003. The country's premiere horror film festival will be held at the prestigious Tribeca Film Center in lower Manhattan. Special screenings, parties, celebrity guests and free "giveaways" --- this is an event not to be missed. FINAL DEADLINE: 09-25-03. See you in October! http://www.NYCHorrorfest.com SELL YOUR USED DVDS For cash!!! No hassles, no gimmicks! http://www.sellmydvds.com HOME ROOM OPENS SEPT. 5TH! HOME ROOM, starring Erika Christensen and Busy Philipps, opens September 5th in NYC and LA. Award winning indie drama focuses on survivors struggling with the aftermath of a high school shooting. http://www.homeroomthemovie.com EXPERIENCE BUS CULTURE "DAS BUS" In the spirit of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and SPINAL TAP, DAS BUS combines real and staged events alonside archival footage as viewers experience "BUS CULTURE" in the Bible Belt metropolis of Kansas City. Featuring crime novelist James Ellroy, DAS BUS is a thought provoking romp that confronts everyone's attitude about public transporation." http://www.dasbus.com ADVERTISE ON FILMTHREAT.COM -- THE TOP INDEPENDENT MOVIE WEB SITE ======================================== FilmThreat.com is the top web site about independent movies. If you don't believe us, check out our excellent rating at Alexa.com which ranks FilmThreat.com in the top 1/2% of all six million web sites on the internet -- including porn! (Alexa.com is kind of like the Nielson Ratings of the internet.) In fact, FilmThreat.com gets more web traffic than mainstream movie web sites for outlets like Premiere and Movieline. Go to Alexa.com (http://www.alexa.com/data/details?url=filmthreat.com) and compare our rates against the competition. No one delivers such a huge audience of filmmakers, movie lovers and industry on the web! http://www.filmthreat.com/Advertise.asp FILM THREAT POLL "Voting is your right" ======================================== Go to http://www.filmthreat.com to cast your vote on the following question: What would you rather do this weekend? 1) Go see "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." 2) Go see "The Order." 3) Go die a slow death. Go die a slow death is currently leading at 76%! Cast your vote on the site and check the results! BOX OFFICE "Hollywood's horse race" ======================================== Weekend of Sept. 5-7, Source: Exhibitor Relations Co. 1/0 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star $7.0/$7.0 2/1 Jeepers Creepers 2 $6.7/$27.4 3/3 Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl $5.4/$282.0 4/2 Freaky Friday $5.1/$97.1 5/4 S.W.A.T. $4.6/$108.8 6/0 The Order $4.3/$4.3 7/5 Open Range $4.0/$49.1 8/6 Seabiscuit $3.6/$109.6 9/7 Freddy vs. Jason $3.1/$78.2 10/9 Uptown Girls $2.4/$33.5 BIG SCREEN "Coming to a theater near you" ======================================== >From five stars "Perfect! * * * * *" to one star "Crap! *" totally honest movie reviews. BUBBA HO-TEP By Pete Vonder Haar * * * * * (http://www.bubbahotep.com/) IN THEATERS IN LIMITED RELEASE! This is the first Elvis movie I’ve ever liked. Don’t get me wrong, “Viva Las Vegas” has Ann-Margaret back when she was still quite the kitten with a whip, and “Kid Galahad” is enjoyable simply because it might be the worst boxing movie of all time, but “Bubba Ho-Tep” is the first movie that actually made me root for the King. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Elvis is played by the incomparable Bruce Campbell, or that Ossie Davis plays former President JFK, or that the whole thing is based on a short story by the great Joe R. Lansdale. In retrospect, there was little chance I *wouldn’t* like this movie. The premise is simple: suppose Elvis didn’t die in 1977, but switched identities with an Elvis impersonator during the early 1970’s in order to escape the harsh glare of fame. Further, assume the impersonator died and Elvis broke a hip while performing, eventually landing in an East Texas retirement home. Introduce him to a man claiming to be JFK and throw in a soul-sucking mummy using their rest home as a feeding ground and you’ve pretty much got it. You need to understand one thing from the beginning: Bruce Campbell IS Elvis. No cinematic depiction, be it Kurt Russell’s or Val Kilmer’s or (snicker) Don Johnson’s, has ever been as eerily accurate as Campbell’s. Hell, Presley himself (never an accomplished thespian) would’ve been hard pressed to do a better job. The Elvis at the beginning of “Bubba Ho-Tep” is a pale reflection of the old King; he needs a walker to get around, has a possibly cancerous growth on his penis, and hasn’t had a boner in “two presidential elections,” as he puts it. The King is, like most royalty, an inveterate letch, yet manages at the same time to be introspective and remorseful. He looks back on his failed marriage and estrangement from his daughter with real regret. Campbell gets slotted as a genre actor quite a bit - all pratfalls and goofy one-liners. And while it’s true “Bubba Ho-Tep” will never get mistaken for “My Dinner with Andre,” the acting chops he exhibits here are pretty damn impressive. Within ten minutes, you almost believe it really is Elvis on screen. He’s that good. After a series of grisly deaths at the rest home, and a hilarious encounter with a giant scarab beetle, Elvis meets a man claiming to be JFK. Of course, this JFK happens to be black and tells him “They” have stolen his brain on order to hide the truth of what happened in Dallas. “JFK” claims the deaths are the work of an ancient Egyptian mummy who removes a person’s soul from…a certain orifice. Elvis, after some initial reluctance, sees a chance at redemption. Here is an opportunity to actually *be* the heroic figure he played in all those god-awful movies, to save people too helpless to save themselves, and to kick some ass. Soon enough, the stage is set for an epic clash between our geriatric heroes and their ancient foe. Those expecting a gore-fest or a straight horror film are barking up the wrong tree. “BH-T” is more understated than you might imagine. The mummy, Bubba Ho-Tep (so named because of his penchant for cowboy hats and Tony Lamas), is on screen for a surprisingly short amount of time, as the bulk of the film is devoted to Elvis and his relationship with JFK. On a side note: I saw this movie at a screening/book-signing for Bruce Campbell’s autobiography, and Bruce commented on his sense of wonder at Ossie Davis being in this movie at all. It’s true he renders a certain sense of gravitas to the proceedings, and you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Davis-as-JFK talking about a mummy “putting his mouth on your asshole.” Davis gives the movie the credibility it desperately needs if it ever hopes to find a distributor, and while I may be very much mistaken, he actually seemed to be enjoying the role. As a study of American iconography, the movie is something to behold (Elvis and JFK even encounter a fellow resident - sporting a pair of six-guns, a white hat, and mask - who goes by the name “Kemosabe”… I guess the Clayton Moore estate was stingy with the rights). America has always been a country in need of heroes, and who better than two of our most mythic citizens? I suspect the mummy itself doesn’t really represent anything, though JFK is initially convinced it’s Lyndon Johnson. The movie is also sublime in its baseness. Elvis muses on ways to get his nurse into bed with him, while one particularly vile rest home resident wanders the halls looking for things to steal from her fellow patients. The Mud Creek Rest Home is a study in squalor (which is more depressing than I care to admit, since a real VA hospital was used for the movie). And any film that has Bruce Campbell as Elvis saying, “Never, ever fuck with the King” to a 3000-year old mummy in a Stetson is a joy to behold. Don Coscarelli (“Phantasm I - n”) does a fine job, and the score by Brian Tyler (Six-String Samurai) is both moving and evocative. The film belongs to Campbell and Davis, however. The script adaptation is surprisingly faithful to Lansdale’s original story (even going so far as to include the line “mucho mojo,” a shout-out to Lansdale’s excellent ‘Hap and Leonard’ novels), and allows both actors, though most notably Campbell, to do their thing. I loved this film; from the opening “Ben-Hur” nod to the hieroglyph subtitles, it’s simultaneously hilarious and poignant, with great performances. However leaving the theater I couldn’t help but be a little discouraged, because unless some studio decides to take a chance on “BH-T” I’m never going to see it again. During the screening, Campbell mentioned that “Bubba Ho-Tep” was the weirdest script he’d ever read, but that was a GOOD THING because it’s *not* your cookie cutter Hollywood formula picture. So step up to the plate Paramount, or Universal, or Sony. If you can force another Charlie’s Angels or “Bad Boys” movie on us, you can blow one day of their catering budget to distribute something original. Yeah, I didn’t think so. PARTY MONSTER (R) By D.W. Smith * * * IN THEATERS IN LIMITED RELEASE! “Party Monster” is a strange bird all right. Documentary Filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have taken their documentary subject of a few years ago and given it a narrative makeover. The “Party Monster” in question is Michael Alig, a super-gay, New York club promoter who ended up committing a murder. The story begins on the set of "Party Monster" (the documentary) where Seth Green now takes on the role of James St. James, the “club kid,” whose book Disco Bloodbath is the basis for the documentary and the new movie. St. James met Alig years before in New York and introduced him to the club scene. Alig took to it famously and ended up creating a whole “club kid” sub culture where it’s Halloween, Prom Night, Woodstock and New Year’s Eve every night. Alig became the Peter Pan of Party Kids, leading them all into a lifestyle that was like a prolonged party lasting for years on end. Alig now sits in jail for murdering a friend of his, a drug dealer named “Angel.” McCaulay Culkin has resurfaced after a six-year vacation from acting to portray Alig. Now, it is said that Johnny Depp based his portrayal of Pirate “Jack Sparrow” on Keith Richards, and I think we will find out that McCaulay Culkin must have spent the last six years studying every nuance of Natalie Schafer (that’s Thurston’s “Lovey” from Gilligan’s Island) for his portrayal of Alig. It’s all there, the walk, the talk-startling indeed. Culkin adds a little twist: just about every sentence seems to raise up at the end and sound like a question. The film is playful and never dares take itself too seriously, and neither do the characters. It is also apparent that the real-life Alig and St. James never took anything seriously either. The mantra of the club-kid is “we don’t DO, we just ARE” and that’s really how the movie plays, too. Style over substance, but that’s the whole point. Even the murder plays like a simple bit of trivia, the victim, after all, was just another useless club-kid who dealt drugs for the rest of them, so there’s really no emotional investment there, but again, it is interesting in a car accident kind of way. It’s hard not to look. I’d gone into this movie thinking that club kids were all very uninteresting and had nothing to say about anything beyond what drug went with what drink and where to buy feather boas. Well, turns out I was dead right. Club kids are like those guys that rollerskate around Venice beach with a snake around their neck-I am totally devoid of substance and have trouble conversing, so I’ll bring this snake and I can talk to people about my snake. That having been said, I never found the film to be boring. Knowing that the murder was coming did keep me interested, and I also was excited to see these little rich party-obsessed narcissistic jack-holes crash hard. Everybody knows you can’t keep up that kind of lifestyle for very long without it coming back to bite you in the arse, and thankfully it does bite some of them pretty hard. The friendship between Alig and St. James is rather notable though, built less on a respect for each other than an addiction to each other’s personalities. Each one vying for the attention of the viewer, literally mugging to the camera to out-do the other-echoing the way it was in real life I suspect. Club kids really just wanted attention--to be famous just for being famous. This idea may have taken root with youngsters during that time and persists to this day in the form of reality TV shows, where people eat bugs (or worse) just to get their mugs on the tube. Overall, I have to recommend the film for its alternate take on the whole “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Basketball Diaries,” “Less Than Zero” drug-induced tragedy genre. Remember to look for Marilyn Manson…and even John Stamos to pop up in an unexpected place. Get more reviews on the site! Updated DAILY! http://www.filmthreat.com/ INDIE THREAT "Reviews of REAL indie films" ======================================== Film Threat will review anything. Send us your indie feature, short, DVD, underground video and prepare yourself for acclaim or ridicule. ZERO DAY By Eric Campos * * * * 1/2 (http://www.professorbright.com/zeroday.html) SCREENING AT NEW YORK'S FILM FORUM! Loosely based on Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, “Zero Day” focuses on a couple of high school kids who decide to march into their school, armed to the teeth, to shoot anyone that crosses their path. This isn’t exploitation; this is a look at how things may have been with Harris and Klebold, and how something like this could easily happen again. High school outcasts, Andre Kriegman and Cal Gabriel, are sick of the cruel world they live in, so they decide to make a bloody departure, never to return, but not before taking out as many of the people who keep them down as possible. You know the story and “Zero Day” does have that brutal outcome we’ve all become familiar with since the Columbine shootings, but the focus here is on the events leading up to the massacre. The bulk of the film has us follow Kriegman and Gabriel through their video diary entries as they prepare for, what they have deemed, “Zero Day.” The scariest thing about this journey is that these kids seem like any others you would see wandering around your neighborhood. They’re not even made to look like punkers, gothics, skinheads, anarchists, or very naughty trick or treaters. They look like your average, straight-laced kid. Sure they have an affinity to playing with guns and explosives, but they still mind their parents, and one of them even goes to the school prom. The film is careful as to where it points the finger...if it's pointing a finger at all. Yes, these kids are shown to have an extensive knowledge in how to make explosives and firearms seem to always be in reach, but it’s mostly the uncomfortable feeling they have around their peers and the belittling they receive because of it that seems to push them over the edge. If guns weren’t around and they weren’t able to fashion their own bombs, these kids would’ve found another way to strike violently at their enemy. One point the film makes load and clear, however, is that the media is not responsible for these teenagers' actions. In a scene where the two teens are placing entry tapes of their video diary into a safety deposit box, which will be bequeathed to news outlets upon their deaths, they talk about how everything they’ve done and everything they own will be placed under the world’s biggest microscope after Zero Day has come and gone, including all of their CDs, video games, and DVDs. Not wanting anyone to be so stupid as to blame their violent act upon games, music, and movies, they’re shown burning all of these possessions in the next scene. “Zero Day” is a tough ride to handle, yet it doesn’t hit you over the head with its dark tone. A good part of the film deals with the tight friendship between Kriegman and Gabriel and their somewhat warm relationships with their folks. You may even forget, for a brief moment, what’s imminently coming down the line, but then a mention of Zero Day or the image of the teens shooting at targets in a field snap you back into the film’s cold reality. A lot of people are going to have a problem with this film. There are no easy answers as to why shit like this happens and if there is any message at all, it’s a bleak one. Love it or hate it, “Zero Day” will stay with you for a very long time. GOT DISTRIBUTION? FILM THREAT DVD! Do you have a great feature? Has it played some festivals and maybe even won an award or two? Has your film gotten good press? Are all the rights to music, talent, etc. cleared? And, despite all of this, do you still not have a DVD/video deal?! Consider distribution with Film Threat DVD! We're seeking the best independent and underground films that have been overlooked. Interested? Please send a synopsis, festival history, and other relevant press-related information about your film to Mitchell Bard, Film Threat DVD's East Coast Head of Acquisitions. For more information, e-mail: mbard@filmthreat.com Get more information at: http://www.filmthreatdvd.com SELL YOUR USED DVDS For cash!!! No hassles, no gimmicks! http://www.sellmydvds.com SUBSCRIBE "Unless you already did" ======================================== Subscribe to Film Threat.com by sending an e-mail to: newsletter-subscribe@filmthreat.com Unsubscribe to Film Threat.com by sending an e-mail to: newsletter-unsubscribe@filmthreat.com END CREDITS "Written, produced, and directed by..." ======================================== FilmThreat.com -- The leading source on REAL Independent films since 1985 -- Publisher / Chris Gore Deputy Editor / Eric Campos Senior Editor / Ron Wells Associate Editor / Merle Bertrand Webmaster / Barry Robison Hardest Working Contributors to a Movie Web Site on the Planet / Jim Agnew, Kevin Carr, Michael Dequina, David Grove, Phil Hall, Rick Kisonak, Tim Merrill, Chris Parcellin & more! Want to get reviewed? Send us your film, video, DVD, CD, video game, or a screening pass: FILM THREAT 5042 Wilshire Blvd. P.M.B. 1500 Los Angeles, CA 90036 We answer all of our e-mail, so drop us a line and we'll answer all your questions. Website: http://www.filmthreat.com Edress: input@filmthreat.com We still prefer all communication via e-mail, but for the record: 818-248-4549 - tel 818-248-4533 - fax FILM THREAT.com is a weekly e-mail newsletter and is published by The Gore Group, LLC. All material ©2003 Gore Group Publications. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. You are, however, welcome to forward this e-mail to whomever you wish. All letters, comments and reviews sent to Film Threat in any manner are assumed intended for publication, unless stated otherwise. FILM THREAT.com "Truth in Entertainment" ======================================== Read by Filmmakers, Movie Lovers and the Industry Reporter: Charles Date: 4:32PM, September 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1271 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- The Force Newsletter (Star Wars) ------------------------- TFN Newsletter - September 08, 2003 618 Days Till Episode 3 Howdy, There is a banth load of links in this week's newsletter with spy reports beginning to trickle in, and filming close to wrapping up. Oh boy! If we could share what we have seen!! Spoiler junkies look for continued "hot" reporting. Non-spoiler people - a tight reign on the mouse, the temptation could prove to be too much. But don't fret Fett, there are myraid of other stories to tickle your eopie with. Just don't get caught at the office wasting too much time! ## Gotta Pay the Bills Alert ## Check out this week's special autograph offer from C2 Ventures! Buy any size (Theater Wide or 8x10) autograph photo of Zach Jensen (Kit Fisto), Amy Allen (Aayla Secura), Matt Sloan (Plo Koon), and Mary Oyaya (Luminara Unduli) and get a Jesse Jensen (Saesee Tinn) Theater Wide photo for free! That's five great Jedi autographs for the price of four. Visit the TF.N eStore today! http://estore.theforce.net The fine print: Offer good on purchases from September 5, 2003 through midnight CST September 13th, 2003 only. Do not order the free photo or add it to your order basket, it will automatically be mailed with qualifying purchases. ## Gotta Pay the Bills Alert ## And for those that didn't scan too fast past our advertisment :-) Enter the latest TF.N Partner Give-away! While it isn't exactly Star Wars - here's a contest with your chance to win a fantastic trip and get some info on where you can get the upcoming Battlestar Galactica DVD. Astute fans will know Award winning special effects by John Dykstra (Star Wars, Spider-Man) and visual effects by Richard Edlund (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Air Force One). http://www.electricartists.com/bsg/force.html MTFBWY! Anthony Baratta TheForce.Net Technician Certified Death Star Weapons Officer ======================================================= CONTENTS: 1. Trivia 2. FAQ of the Week 3. New Fan Films FANBOYS MATRIX: REGURGITATED 4. Fan Site Reviews Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Order DarthMak's Darth Vader Page 5. Editor's Choice Picks of the Week Games - Jedi Academy Demo - Jedi Wars: The Battle of Geonosis 6. The unOfficial Star Wars Encyclopedia 7. Selected Star Wars Headlines of the Week 8. FanForce News 9. Fan Fiction Highlight And All I Loved, I Loved Alone by LianaMara Callista encounters a specter from her past, and chooses to pass back into obscurity. 10. UnSubscribe Instructions ====================================================== 1. Trivia ====================================================== Q: The Empire's probe droid sends pictures of what on Hoth...? (Scroll to the end to see the Answer...) ====================================================== 2. FAQ of the Week ====================================================== Q: Where do I get the official scoop on ? A: Get thee to the Databank, young Padawan!! The Official Site has all the triva argument busting data at your finger tips. http://www.starwars.com/databank/ e.g What is an eopie? http://www.starwars.com/databank/creature/eopie/index.html The information is broken up between the movies (super duper offical cannon) and the extended universe (suject to change and contradiction with the movies). Updated in batches (monthly?) the databank is full of information on the obscure and the characters you "thought" you knew everything about. ======================================================== 3. New Fan Films ====================================================== FANBOYS http://www.theforce.net/theater/shortfilms/fanboys/index.shtml TFN FanFilms and Peter Haynes are proud to bring you FANBOYS. In the year 1999, a group of rebels enlists the aid of a young Star Wars fan to steal a copy of The Phantom Menace to aid their cause. But are their motives as noble as they appear? MATRIX: REGURGITATED http://www.theforce.net/theater/nonsw/matrixregurgitated/index.shtml Nick Hallam and FanFilms.com bring you, MATRIX: REGURGITATED. First there was nothing. Then came The Matrix: REGurgitated. This is a world where all inhabitants are debilitated by a disease that ensures everyone must where dark sunglasses indoors. This is a reality where there is so much philosophy, even Aristotle was heard to say, "Whoa! Take a chill pill." This is a paradigm that contains more black leather trench coats than an annual kidnappers convention. Welcome to the remnants of The Matrix; REDone, REConstituted, REGurgitated. ----- There are a digital ton of fan movies hosted at TF.N Fan Films: http://www.theforce.net/theater/index.shtml ======================================================== 4. Fan Site Reviews Edited by Peter Michaelson ====================================================== Name: Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Order URL: http://obiwankenobi29.tripod.com/ My Description: A site for fans of the Jedi of the prequels. First Impression: Ouch! White text over a starfield is never a good combo. Content: The site is focused on a certain few who have played more prominent roles as Jedi in the prequel movies. Some in-depth profiles with images are very nice if you overlook the occasional grammtical errors. Otherwise the site revolves around it's message board, which is posted to pretty frequently. The piece about Episode II losing the Academy Award on the index page is interesting, too. Maintenance/Updates: Not a lot of content updates; most of the site's activity takes place on the message board. The rest of the site is basically just a good reference point if you need info on some of the Jedi from the prequel films. Final Thought: With some color changes and maybe some more content, this could be a really good site. For now, though, I would look at it as a work-in-progress. ------------------------ Name: DarthMak's Darth Vader Page URL: http://www.geocities.com/speedfreak217 My Description: The ultimate Darth Vader fan site. First Impression: Clean and organized front page; it looks like there could be a lot to see and read here. I particularly like the picture of Vader holding the "E-Mail" sign. Content: No question about it, this is a Darth Vader site. If you're looking for pics, biographical info, sounds, and even info on the man behind the character, this is a great place to go. DarthMak's focus is airtight. This is something that can sometimes hurt a site, making it stale after a while. In this case, with all the great content, it's a blessing. One thing that I think every site could do without is a star field background. It may just be personal preference, but I find them distracting and headache-inducing. Maintenance/Updates: No dead-links, no missing images, and few other errors that would detract from the site. Plenty of thought and work has gone into this site. Due to the site's focus, there are few updates that can be done; the Episode III section could be updated as the film comes closer to release, but with so little known about Vader's role in the film, it could be a while. Who Would Like It: Any Darth Vader fan. Final Thought: This is a great fan-made site; not super-polished, but clean and easy to navigate with a lot of great content. Not much to complain about here, and I think that any Vader fan will like it. ======================================================== 5. Editor's Choice Picks of the Week ====================================================== Tom - Games Editor Jedi Academy Demo (games) The Jedi Academy Demo is out! Check out this game and then preorder it at your favorite game retailer! It will be out Sept 17th. http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21894 Jedi Wars: The Battle of Geonosis Tom Josephson, author of X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, and it's Sequel X-Wing vs TIE Fighter 2, has astounded us all with a top down adventure game, Jedi Wars. This is based on the Battle of Genosis and proves to be great fun! You can play the game here, and also get links to the help file and forum discussion thread there. Go check it out! http://www.theforce.net/games/apps/jediwars/jediwars.shtml Check out more at http://TheForce.Net/games ======================================================== 6. The unOfficial Star Wars Encyclopedia ====================================================== "Marvel-ous New Edition of the Encyclopedia" by Bob Vitas Keep an eye out for the next edition of The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia, located at http://www1.theforce.net/CUSWE. Version 5.2 will have the usual complement of books and things, but it will also have the entire run of Marvel Comics from the "Star Wars" series. Additionally, Marvel Illustrated "Star Wars" editions and the "lost" Pizzazz issues will also be included in this edition. However, please note that this edition will be a web-only update, so the only download will be the encyclopedia file itself. There's too much coming down the pipe for me to be able to generate the downloads this time. Adding the Marvel comics has been a lot of fun, since there are so many places where information or events need to be 'massaged' to fit within the Expanded Universe. Hopefully, things look good enough to keep the Encyclopedia's integrity up to snuff. If you find something that's not quite right, feel free to e-mail me and let me know. So, keep an eye open for Version 5.2 of The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia, due out September 26th! Regards, and MTFBWY, Bob Vitas swenc@theforce.net ======================================================== 7. Selected News Stories From This Week ====================================================== BIG NOTE: Anything labeled EP3 in the story subject can potentially contain spoilers about the movie. Read at your own risk!! Here's a link to the TF.N Spoiler Policy: http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=11955 Enjoy! Sun, Sep 07 EGM ranks Rebel Strike as Must-Play this Fall (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21898 SW:CCG World Championship Results announced (ccg) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21897 Fan Fiction: The Downfall of Mari-Zu (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21896 SW en Direct Internet Radio Show (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21895 TFN eStore Autograph Special (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21885 Jedi Academy Demo (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21894 Sat, Sep 06 Photo Archives: Princess Leia Organa (Imperial Captive) (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21893 Master Replicas Adds Jango Fett Blaster Set (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21892 Fan Club Fetts Are Arriving (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21891 Fri, Sep 05 EP3: Ryan Church Chat Highlights (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21890 Japanese New Jedi Order Artwork - The Complete Collection (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21889 Matthew Stover Interview @ TCWUS (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21888 EP3: Costumes of Episode III (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21887 EP3: BBC Talks Fan Support for SW Kid (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21886 The One Man Star Wars Trilogy (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21884 EP3: Increased Security for Finale (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21883 Have You Received this Spam? (humor) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21879 EP3: More Family Join Cast (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21878 EP3: McGregor Loves the Script (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21877 EP3: SPY REPORT: Prelude to Episode III (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21875 CONTEST: Win Battlestar Galactica on DVD! (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21874 Thu, Sep 04 Rogue Squadron III Bonus Disk (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21873 Fan Fiction: And All I Loved, I Loved Alone (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21872 New Browser Game! (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21871 Wed, Sep 03 EP3: Highlights from Hyperspace Chat (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21870 EP3: Hayden Mentions SW Role (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21869 EP3: Bai Ling Talks Episode III (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21868 EP3: New Episode III Chats Planned (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21867 Carded Clone Wars Durge And Clone Trooper Vehicles (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21866 Silver Boba For Fan Club Members (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21865 The Final Prophecy Excerpt (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21864 EP3: SPY REPORT: Crispy Critter (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21863 Tue, Sep 02 Fan Fiction: Lightsabers and Lullabies (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21862 More George Lucas Commercials From Japan (misc) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21861 Mon, Sep 01 EP3: SPY REPORT: Not Just a Member (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21859 EP3: Padme's Family Cast Returns (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21858 EP3: Filming So Far (episode3) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21857 Sat, Aug 30 Silver Clone Trooper Exclusive (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21856 LEGO: Classic X-wing (Dagobah) (collecting) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21855 New Galaxies Adventure (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21854 Galaxies Friday Feature: Player Cities (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21853 Fri, Aug 29 Cloud City to Debut First Player-created Virtual Cards! (ccg) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21852 Star Wars Galaxies Novel?? (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21847 KOTOR Screensaver (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21851 JA Hands On Impression (games) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21850 Another Williams / Dix Audio Interview (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21849 3rd Sean Williams Audio Interview Available (books) http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=21848 ====================================================== 8. FanForce News ====================================================== R2-Detroit Monthly Meeting! http://fanforce.net/usa_midwest/index.shtml Please join R2-Detroit Fan Force for their monthly meeting on Saturday, September 13th at 7:30 pm at the Borders Books in Novi. E'ville Jedi Monthly Meeting http://fanforce.net/usa_midwest/index.shtml The E'ville Jedi of Evansville, In. will hold their monthly general meeting on Saturday, September 13th at 12:00 Noon. It will be held at Comic Quest on Morgan Ave. in Evansville --- Want to find a FanForce Chapter in your area?? http://fanforce.net/regions.shtml ====================================================== 9. Fan Fiction Highlight ====================================================== Here's just one of the great examples of fan fiction added to the Fan Fiction archive this month: And All I Loved, I Loved Alone I had not always been alone. Once, I was surrounded by the loving warmth that only blood ties can create, protected within the fragile shell of normal life, contented by the simple pleasures of a daily routine. Before fate, before destiny, before the Force intervened, I was nothing; a mere speck on the cosmic plane. I was ignorant of power and corruption; I did not know the different faces that the Dark Side can assume when seeking to consume my soul; as long as I could look out over the clear cerulean waters of my homeworld without anything obstructing my view, I was satisfied. The seas provided company and a place to think without distractions. I was not alone. ... http://fanfic.theforce.net/fanfic.asp?action=view&ID=1106 ====================================================== 10. UnSubscribe Instructions ====================================================== You can remove yourself from the mailing list by visiting the main page and looking for the subscription widget on the left side of the page. (Scroll down a bit.) Enter your email address and click leave. Note: Leaving is a two part action. You must follow the instructions on the next page in order to confirm your removal from the newsletter subscription. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested and be sure to tell them to subscribe on TFN's main page. As always, see you on the web, and see you in a week. - The TFN Staff http://www.theforce.net contact@theforce.net ====================================================== Trivia Answer Q: The Empire's probe droid sends pictures of what on Hoth...? A: Rebel power generators Reporter: Charles Date: 12:21AM, September 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1270 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Game Mechanic Newsletter ------------------------- On With The Show... (Message from the Editor) Getting the first issue of the GameMechanic going has been a harrowing experience (not to mention its Sept. already and this is the August issue). There have been times when I was worried that we did not have enough content, and other times when I looked at our line-up for the first issue and thought, "This is the perfect amount for the first issue". Even as I write this article, I am still torn between those two aforementioned extremes wondering if there is enough content here in this first issue that the readers will appreciate... www.indiegamescon.com A Short Message From GarageGames. Though it might be hard for some of you to believe, sometimes 'The Garage' feels more like an LAX aircraft hanger than a small office of developers at the forefront of the independent games market. If you think that I am joking about how much activity we have going on, just check out how much recent coverage CNN Money and MSNBC gave to the independent games movement to get an idea... Learning Opportunities – Tips Towards Having a Successful Project Part 1 : From Those Who Have Succeeded by Logan Foster Welcome to the Game Mechanics' "Learning Opportunities" feature article entitled "Tips Towards Having a Successful Project." As we are all painfully aware, being an independent game developer is an incredibly difficult route to take, but the rewards and benefits that we can reap from being able to plot our own destiny is great.. if we can succeed. But how do we succeed? We all know that we need to work hard and produce a quality product that people will want to play and buy, but no matter how determined we might be to succeed in this endeavor, there are many pitfalls along our path that we can hit due to our lack of experience navigating this road. So how do we avoid these potential problems if we are lacking experience? Well the answer is quite simple, we gather information about our subject from those who have already traveled down this path... Out of the Garage : ToRK by Nicholas Quijano About The Site Through determination, pain and a sheer act of will you’ve managed to get Torque going without having to loose all your hairs in the process. Now what do you do? You’ve started perusing the GG forums, but their sheer size and the lack of full search text capabilities, at the moment, as well as the numerous recurring comments to that effect have got you scared or shouting. Sounds familiar, if a tad exaggerated? The point being that whether you’re a coder, an artist or a designer, it’s easy with a bit of healthy self-deprecation, to remember feeling something quite like it when you first got started with Torque, or for that matter, any other comparable engine or piece of software. Or you’re not able to remember and laugh at it in retrospect because you’re going through it right now. Well, take a deep breath, do not despair or regret getting involved with a 3d engine: while not spelling the end of the efforts needed to make your game, this article is here to help by giving you a good glimpse into one of the best community sites about the Torque Game Engine, ToRK... Interview with Chris Cole (Monster Studios) By Ron Yacketta Ron Yacketta: We’re here today talking with Chris Cole of Monster Studios, LLC. Chris, tell us about you and Monster Studios, LLC. Chris Cole: Monster Studios is a small independent game studio that I co-founded in January 2000. Since that time we’ve had some partners come and go, but we’re still going strong. The first year and a half was spent developing the Reaction Engine. This all happened just prior to the big technology bust and there were no good free engines available at the time. As the Reaction Engine became more stable we dove into our first title, Chain Reaction, which is a cause and effect family puzzle game. We were the original authors behind the popular, The Incredible Machine game of the early ‘90s and we wanted to return to our roots... Reporter: Charles Date: 12:17AM, September 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1269 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Duel of Ages Press Release ------------------------- September 11th 2003 Venatic Games is proud to announce that we are inserting an EXCLUSIVE eight card deck into Scrye #66 (Dec Issue, mailing late October). The deck will include 4 unreleased characters and equipment cards. This is a great way for us to drive traffic to retailers, and overall interest in the game. The select characters are some of the most dynamic to date. Do not miss out on these! RETALERS: We have activated our new Retail Store Locator on our website. If you would like to be listed, please go to the following link and add your store information: Domestic: http://www.duelofages.com/retailers/request_us.php International: http://www.duelofages.com/retailers/request_inter.php Josh Evarts, President Venatic Games josh@dueloafges.com Reporter: Charles Date: 11:57PM, September 11, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1268 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Diablo 2 1.10 Patch to be Released Soon ------------------------- A source at Blizzard has informed OMGN that the long awaited Patch 1.10 of Diablo 2 will be released by Christmas with December 1st being the most likely date. Reporter: Charles Date: 3:40PM, September 11, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1267 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Quadrant 51 Newsletter #9 ------------------------- This week is a short newsletter. Ill spare you all the formalities. Planets Rising Planets Rising - Main Game will reset tomorrow and atart accepting players sometime next week. I have some work that needs to be done before we start another round. A few bugs will be fixed and the game will be faster paced. ********** SE Tourney ********** Just a reminder that the SE Tourney is a few days away. The action starts on the 20th and all slots will be secured by the 18th. If you have not yet entered a clan, email me at machoduck86@hotmail.com with your clans name and symbol. Clan limit will be 5 for the tourney. As of now, I have around 10 clans signed up. Thats it for this week. Rabbi Reporter: OMGN Date: 10:15PM, September 10, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1266 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Artifact Newsletter, September, 2003 ------------------------- Samu Games' Artifact Newsletter September 2003 Volume 3 Issue 9 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Artifact Newsletter! Our apologies for missing the August newsletter, but we're back this month with a new editor (NightWolf), a new main server, and a new tool for playing the game. Langston gives players a new tool to help with game play and NightWolf gives us the scoop on how to use it under Tips, Tricks & Tactics. Thank you for playing and supporting Artifact! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ARTIFACT NEWS -Current Version Artifact 2.0.0.177 is the most recent version. You can download it from here: http://www.samugames.com/artifact/ -Vote Artifact for MPOGD's "Game of the Month" http://www.mpogd.com/gotm/vote.asp -New Artifact Server! The last two weeks of August, Samu Games moved the Artifact lobby and game servers to a new host on a new Internet backbone. The first week was a bit shakey, as you know, but the issues have been resolved. Overall, the new server is a huge leap forward in terms of hardware, stability, and connectivity. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TIPS, TRICKS & TACTICS CREATED BY LANGSTON EDITED, TESTED, AND PUBLISHED BY NIGHTWOLF Download: http://www.samugames.com/download/ArtifactWorksheet.xls The Purpose: The Artifact spreadsheet was created by Langston to help new players, expert players, and trainers. The spreadsheet allows easy calculations to be made and makes it possible to track and tweak population growth cycles to improve playing skills. TABLE OF CONTENTS | I. The features | II. How to use the population tracker | III. How to use the game-pop estimator | IV. How to use the troop calculator | V. The facility reference | VI. Contact information ```````````````````````````````````````````````` [I] The features of the spreadsheet are: 1) The population tracker: Located on the left side of the Excel spreadsheet, this tool allows a player to put their current population in and track it cycle by cycle. It calculates the % of growth and estimates future population cycles. The more data entered the more and more accurate the estimations become. Use this tool to find when and how to grow population the most efficiently. (Keep in mind the amount of cities you have, their populations, if you have artifacts, and your % busy. They will all alter your results.) 2) The game-pop estimator: Located in the upper right hand corner, this allows you to figure out the maximum population possible to obtain in a game. Alter the information to be formatted for fast, standard, or slow. You will learn things such as 6 million population in 24 hours of a fast game is possible if you split at exactly all the right times. The tool is very useful in comparing your pop results to what you could be capable of. 3) The troop calculator: Rather than spending lots of time whipping out the calculator simply use this tool to find out exactly how much of each resource will be required for the troop you desire to make. One you have entered the # of troops it will automatically calculate everything for you. 4) The facility reference: This is self-explanatory. It is just a reference of the resources required to make a 50% or 114% efficient facility. Langston and I agreed having it calculate facility costs out was not a necessary feature for this version. If asked for, it could be in an updated version of the spreadsheet. [II] How to use the population tracker: (LOCATED ON THE FAR LEFT) Under the city name you can put your city name...really not necessary unless you plan to keep track of each city individually vs. total pop. The default name is 'Main'. Next to the name is the 'Pop' column. As you can figure, you place your current population there. Then after your city's next population growth cycle you put it below the first population. Row after row in that one column. If you are doing more than one city you must leave space vertically for the different city names and such. Once you add the 2nd set of data it will create a % at which your city just grew and then use that to predict the next population growth cycle. The more and more data you enter the more and more accurate the prediction will become. If you keep track of the data long enough and find a good 'mean' or average % than you can use that in the next feature...the game-pop estimator. III. How to use the game-pop estimator: (LOCATED ON THE TOP RIGHT) The present pop field is default set to 15000 but can easily be changed. Then you can change the future pop field to whatever population you would like to achieve. Then you can use an accurate % from the data you collected from the population tracker, or the default 4% growth rate to predict what pop you can have. Of course you also have to fill in the information pertaining to the type of game such as the pop-ticks per hour, total pop-ticks of the amount of time you are calculating for, minutes, hours, etc. The default is setup for a fast game such as the Free Fast-11 Lone Wolf game. IV. How to use the troop calculator: The troop calculator is very easy. Just type the number of troop(s) you wish to create and hit enter. It will give you the resources required and population required. It is also possible to do different troops all together in the same calculation. This is very useful for managing population and resources when making stacks and figuring how much you will need and have to get. It is also very handy for the trainers to use in #help =P. V. The facility reference: This just tells you the amount of resources required to build 50% efficiency facilities and 114% efficiency facilities. If there is a lot of demand we could alter it to do calculations of facilities but for now it is just a reference table...sorry =P Look for version 2. VI. CONTACTS: If you have questions, comments, suggestions, would like a MS Word or Notepad copy of the manual, or would like to share data or discoveries please contact Langston or myself, NightWolf via IM or e- mail. NightWolf: AOL INSTANT MESSANGER- NWartifact HOTMAIL EMAIL ADDRESS- NightWolf_rw@hotmail.com ARTIFACT PLAYER ALIAS - NightWolf Download the spreadsheet at: http://www.samugames.com/download/ArtifactWorksheet.xls A very special thank you to: Samu Games-Dug/DavidRM Langston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PLAYER PROFILES Artifact Player Handle: MiStY Age/Birthday : December 10, 1981 Job/School: housewife Hobbies: reading, drawing, playing fact Homepage : http://home.att.net/~j.holstien Clan: Five Rings How Long Have You Played: Since the beginning of July, 2002 Most Crowning Artifact Achievements: Making player awards and being the first to have 2 flags win same flag contest... Fav. Artifact: Bone Fav. Artifact Unit: Archers Fav. Artifact Tactic: I think it wouldnt be my favorite anymore if i told. Fav. Game[Game you play the most often]: Whatever game my clan is playing Fav. Artifact Player : Acid Raine, Freggle Fav. Artifact User Admin or Trainer: NightWolf, crz, Mbs, ZombieLeader, Samu Artifact Pet Peeves: people trashing you no matter what you do, mad lag, game booting when you make a scoutline, and getting error spammed like theres no tomorrow.. Your One Big Suggestion to make Artifact a Better Game: find a way to shut up TOS offending players who dont hack or cheat for good without locking them...(ie lock only hackers/cheaters) maybe a perm silence with the ability to fully transfer over to any char on the comp where the silenced char was used.. Other/Comments: David and Dug made a very addictive game and I wanna thank them for keeping it running and for RM answering emails so timely. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Artifact Player Handle: mr al Age/Birthday: 39 Job/School: night time grocery Hobbies: playing art darts shooting pool drinking Homepage: don't have one Clan: AoW, KT , DI , TFH How Long Have You Played: 3 yrs Most Crowning Artifact Achievements[what have you done that you are proud of? ] finding arts Fav. Artifact: spirit Fav. Artifact Unit: cat Fav. Artifact Tactic: back dooring Fav. Game[Game you play the most often]: CF2 Fav. Artifact Player: orth , FM , surfer , UT , howy ,MAD , crary canuck Fav. Artifact User Admin or Trainer:FM Artifact Pet Peeves: peep not keeping a healthy city Your One Big Suggestion to make Artifact a Better Game: more admins Other/Comments:need a midnight blitz game a 1 billon pop kill award a 100mil troop kill award and a 1000 win award - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Artifact Player Handle: Babalon Age/Birthday: 18 April 29 Job/School:Us Army. Cav scout Hobbies:Paintball, punk shows, and peoples Homepage:NoNe Clan:Get Of Fenris How Long Have You Played:Since beta 5 years? Most Crowning Artifact Achievements[what have you done that you are proud of?] :BEing and playing with NeXuS Legions Fav. Artifact: Air Fav. Artifact Unit: Cat Fav. Artifact Tactic: Make people so frustrated in chat they get mad and make mistakes on onlines. Fav. Game[Game you play the most often]: ff12 Fav. Artifact Player: CaptainSmurf Fav. Artifact User Admin or Trainer: Current= Lady Sable past MarketForces Artifact Pet Peeves: All the new players that start talking smack before they even learn what an ac is. Your One Big Suggestion to make Artifact a Better Game: Take away some of the games so there is more comp in the games. Other/Comments: Denial Aint just a river in egypt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PLAYER WEB PAGE LINKS Check out SoulKeeper's Artifact help website! Web Master: SoulKeeper URL: http://www.artifacthelp.tk Do you have an Artifact-related web page? Email us a link and we'll include it in our "PLAYER WEB PAGE LINKS" section of the newsletter. Web pages submitted will be reviewed prior to listing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - USER ADMINS & TRAINERS User Admins: Archer, BeeQueen, Bye, CrazyCanuck, DavidRM, Dragonfly, Dug, Final Man, Flaubert, Lady Sable, Lord Draven, Lupine, MAD, Mbs, Ohm, Red Lyon, ShAo KhAn, Silk The Shirtless, Sur Guy, Temara, The Pirate, TheGreatOne, ZombieLeader, crz, minerva, song, zephyr Trainers: adidaskid, AlphaAce, Archer, Artemis Entreri, ARYSTRONE, Asa, Asian Princess Naomi, BattleLord, BeeQueen, Black Soldier, Bye, Camoman, CanadianBoy, CaPTaiNSMuRF, Ceaser, Charles the Hammer, ChazJoKeR, Cooltwox, Cornelius, CrazyCanuck, crz, Donahue, Dragonfly, Eldjr, Final Man, fitzchivary, Flaubert, Hawkeye, Highlander, Howard, Ketanga, Knight Killer, La Follette, Lady Sable, Lord Draven, Lupine, MAD, Mbs, minerva, missmystikal, Mr Al, NajaNaja, Neo Matrix, NightWolf, Ohm, Orc Warrior, Pop n Fresh, Red Lyon, Richboy, Rougue Warrior, Samu, scooterbug, ScreamStalker, Selden, serial killer, ShAo KhAn, Silk The Shirtless, Sniper Gunff, song, SoulKeeper, Sur Guy, Temara, The Pirate, The Target, TheDonn, TheGreatOne, Trooper, Warrior, White Warlock, WhiteKnights, Wyeth, Zaranthusra, zephyr, ZombieLeader - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SUBMISSION INFORMATION If you want to submit an article to the Artifact Newsletter, we would love to hear from you. Currently, we have a "TIPS, TRICKS & TACTICS" section. We may add new sections in future issues. Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to: davidrm@samugames.com Please keep submissions within 500-1000 words in length. Submissions may be edited for length and content. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state this in the email. Otherwise your name (but not your email) will be used in the article heading. Do you have an Artifact-related web page? Email us a link and we'll include it in our "PLAYER WEB PAGE LINKS" section of the newsletter. Web pages submitted will be reviewed prior to listing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Editor: NightWolf (NightWolf_rw@hotmail.com) Lead Editor: David Michael (davidrm@samugames.com) Copyright © 2003 by Samu Games LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reporter: Charles Date: 9:27PM, September 10, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1265 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Irish SF News Update ------------------------- Just a few things that I wanted to mention… JAMES WHITE AWARD TABLE QUIZ: The SF Table Quiz in aid of the James White Award is to be held tomorrow (Thursday) night in the Back Bar of the Exchequer Bar. Proceeds go to the James White Award, which was set up to honour the memory of James White, one of Ireland’s greatest SF writers, and a good and gentle man. The details, as I said before, are: What: James White Award Table Quiz Where: Exchequer Bar, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 When: Thursday 11th September 2003 at 8 PM How much: E20 for Tables of 4 I’ll be there, on my usual team, along with the lovely Deirdre, Richie Lawlor of SubCity, and David Stewart, the most debonair man in Irish SF. AN TEACHTAIRE: This is the third Irish language graphic novel from Cló Mhaigh Eo, and written by Colmán Ó Raghallaigh. It’s the follow up to his earlier work, ‘An Sclábhaí,’ and is the second half of the story of Saint Patrick. It’s on the shelves of the Dublin comic shops, and I bought my copy in Forbidden Planet earlier today, and look forward to getting the time to read it! More information from Cló Mhaigh Eo’s website at http://www.leabhar.com OOPS!: A thousand apologies to all those wonderful people at Dublin’s Forbidden Planet, for forgetting to mention that they donated the copy of Robert Rankin’s new novel, ‘The Witches of Chiswick,’ which is the prize for this month’s quiz. Go look at http://www.slovobooks.com/irishsfnews/index.php for the quiz, if you missed it. P-CON NEWS: Regretfully, Ian McDonald is unable to attend P-CON, due to being involved in filming a feature for Channel 4 that weekend. He sends his apologies and best wishes for the con. More information on P-CON at http://www.slovobooks.com/phoenix/ I’m *still* forgetting something, no doubt... Best wishes, Pádraig Ó Méalóid ===== Irish SF News http://www.slovobooks.com/irishsfnews/ Reporter: Charles Date: 9:09PM, September 10, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1264 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Free Ragnarok Online Server in English ------------------------- If you ever wanted to play on a free Ragnarok Online English language server, here's one: http://ro.beyondirc.net/main.html News relating to the game: 8/16 - The Monster exp/jexp/drop Lookup Page.. now has sorting functions (by Name, HP, exp, jobexp) 8/14 - Added Item Lookup Page 8/14 - Added Market/Vending Lookup Page 8/3 - Added Monster location Lookup Page 7/29 - Added Job specific stats to Rankings Reporter: Charles Date: 2:22PM, September 10, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1263 Welcome to the OMGN Newsletter! Enjoy this edition of the OMGN newsletter. If you would like to remove yourself from the OMGN Newsletter, go to this address and enter your email address: http://www.omgn.com/newsletter.php You can also change your newsletter type by visiting the aforementioned newsletter page. OMGN is dedicated to bringing you all that you need for online multiplayer games. Take a visit to http://www.omgn.com/ soon, if you haven't lately. If you have any suggestions for the OMGN Newsletter, email them to rfludwick@omgn.com ============================================================ Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- World Of War (Current Top Games Leader) ------------------------- Developer: Not Listed Genre: Strategy Platform: Computer - Multiple Interface: Browser Style: Turn Based Cost: Free Status: Commercial ESRB: Not Rated World of War is an online strategy turn based game in which you control your own state, have the ability to create an army of different types, join nations and wage war! All while keeping diplomacy and a good economy! Date: 8:46PM, August 19, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/gamesdirectory.php?Item_ID=2 Game Address: http://www.world-of-war.com/?referrer=omgn.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Empire Earth (Random Game) ------------------------- Developer: Not Listed Genre: Strategy Platform: Computer - Windows 98+ Interface: Client Style: Time Based Cost: Pay - Once Status: Commercial ESRB: Not Rated The game spans through 500,000 years of Human history. You can start your game anywhere within that time period and end it whenever you like. With different technologies and new ways to play in each Epoch(Era), gameplay is unlimited. Date: 8:35PM, August 12, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/gamesdirectory.php?Item_ID=79 Game Address: http://empireearth.sierra.com ============================================================ News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Eternal Lands News ------------------------- Following is an email from the crew over at Eternal Lands: We just got from PreAlpha to Alpha. So, this is a big change, of course. In 1-2 months we plan to go to Beta, then by the end of the year, also have a commercial version (besides for the free version). Changes and additions: - Now there is combat! You can attack the animals anywhere, and other players in PK maps. - Added experience for new skills (atack, defense, combat, potion and alchemy) - Many new potions (about 10) - 2 new animal species (boar and rabbit) - Increased the harvesting exp/hour limit to 120 harvests, rather than the old 50. - The Wraith and Golric will offer to train you and increase your WILL and REASONING stats, after completing some quests - A few minor bug fixes, on the server. Have fun, and visit us at:http://www.eternal-lands.com Reporter: Charles Date: 8:42PM, September 5, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1246 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Dark Chamber Newsletter September, 2003 ------------------------- || Dark Chamber Newsletter || September 5, 2003- Monthly Newsletter - Issue 3 - Please Forward - The Witch Hunter Meets The Witch Master Book Review One - The Law of Three - M. R. Sellars by Marion Phillips Rowan Gant is a witch who acts as a police consultant in murder cases involving the paranormal. He lives in St. Louis and in spite of his good deeds he has as an enemy a dangerous religious fanatic and sociopath called Eldon Porter, whose "mission on Earth" is to kill every witch he finds on his way. Rowan and he already confronted once, and the killer was considered dead but not for long. This time his only wish is to destroy Rowan as he did with the other witches, using methods taken from Inquisition treaties. But the police found out that Eldon is alive and told Rowan and his wife to hide in a safer house. To force them to show themselves up, Eldon tortured and killed a member of Rowan's coven and Rowan felt compelled to join the investigation of his friend's murder in spite of his boss not wanting to allow him to help in the investigation, because of his friendship with the victim. Rowan ends risking his own life to save that of another fellow coven member who falls in the hands of Eldon. This book is well written and thrilling, it shows many details about the Wicca religion and is a sequel of other books published by Sellars with the character Rowan Gant as its star. Lost Between The Fangs And The Paws Book Review Two - Cerulean Sins - Laurell K. Hamilton by Marion Phillips In this sequel to Hamilton's series of horror fiction, one of her main characters, the vampire minion, federal marshal and supernatural specialist, Anita Blake, has to solve a serial murder case and in the meantime deal with problems in her private life and with the undead rivalries. She has an affair with the Master vampire of St. Louis, Jean-Claude, who is facing problems with one of the most important vampire leaders of Europe, Belle Morte, who sent an emissary to him, asking him to give back one of her vampires that has become Jean-Claude's lover. Back to the murder case, her boss doesn't want Anita to help in the investigations, in spite of the probabilities that a supernatural being was involved in them, because he's feeling uptight with Anita's deep involvement with the immortals. Still she has to solve the crimes' mystery, avoid the death of her beloved vampire master Jean-Claude and deal with an unfinished relationship that she has with an Alpha werewolf called Richard. Expect several sex scenes, lots of jokes and good humor in the most unexpected situations and a very intricate plot - as you certainly noticed. This book has a very good story and it's the sequel of the "Narcissus in Chains" novel, which was the 11th book featuring Hamilton's character Anita Blake. Important News! Our Newsgroup is more informative! Now it's updated every week with the latest news of the Gothic art world. There you'll find news on Gothic music, Dark literature, Horror movies and comics. You'll still be able to display your artworks and writings there, or to promote your site, if you have them. Our intention with it, is to create an important and interactive center of news on Gothic culture matters, with no regional limitations. We hope it'll be useful to you! Visit it at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/darkchamber Reporter: Charles Date: 8:40PM, September 5, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1245 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- New Editorial ------------------------- Check it out Reporter: Brian Date: 7:59PM, September 5, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1244 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Eclipse Prime Moved ------------------------- Eclispe Prime has finished its move to a new domain and host, so it is no longer housed here at OMGN. Reporter: Robert Date: 2:06PM, September 5, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1243 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Eclipse Prime Domain ------------------------- A new domain is in the mix for Eclipse Prime, as has been mentioned on its website (So very soon, it will no longer be in development here at OMGN). It also has a December 1st beta target date. Reporter: Robert Date: 7:51PM, September 4, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1242 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- OMGN's Independents SE Round 4 Starting ------------------------- Another round has come and gone. Round three was particularly short and brutal. It also marks the third win in a row for Solar Empire vet Medicine~man. Considering that there have only been three games so far on the server, that's a huge winning streak. Do you have what it takes to end Medicine~man's winning streak, and to start your own? Are you up for the challenge of going one on one against other Solar Empire players? Want to test yourself and see if you can manage without joining a clan? If you answered yes to any one or more of those questions, then go sign up for the Independents game on the OMGN Solar Empire server today! Just go to http://se.omgn.com/login_form.php or click the link over on the left side of the screen in the OMGN Menu bar. Courtsey: Spiritclaw Reporter: Robert Date: 7:43PM, September 4, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1241 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #187 ------------------------- Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #187 My Experience on The Picture Side of The Screen: 6 Tips for Players From: Johnn Four, http://www.roleplayingtips.com johnn@roleplayingtips.com CONTENTS: --> A Brief Word from Johnn --> This Week's Tips 1. Use Cut Scenes That Start with Action 2. Journalize Using Post-It Notes 3. Master The Game Rules 4. Roleplay With Other Players When The Spotlight Is Off 5. Being Quiet Is Tough 6. Avoid Playing Yourself --> Tips Request: "Switching From Micro Character Management" --> Readers' Tips of The Week: 1. Using Cardboard Tokens Instead Of Miniatures From: Derek McKay 2. Balancing Frequency & Size Of Rewards From: Adam Flynn 3. Viking Names Resource From: Andrew Gould _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* A BRIEF WORD FROM JOHNN Posting Full "From" Names ------------------------- Since the ezine's inception in 1999, I've always posted Reader's Tips "from" name as full first name and last name's initial. Unless anyone objects, I'm switching to full name because I feel tips submitters will get a little more satisfaction that way. I certainly would, and with just a name (not an email or physical address) privacy is still not a concern. Of course, if I'm requested to post a name in a certain way or asked to use an alias, I'll always comply. I'm open to feedback on this policy and comments are welcome. Cheers, Johnn Four johnn@roleplayingtips.com _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* ******* Complete Software for D&D 3e - DM Genie ******* DM Genie is your complete solution for managing your RPG in 3rd Edition or 3.5. DM Genie takes care of the rules and math so you don't have to! Complete tracking of PCs, monsters - their items and the effects of spells or conditions; write and run adventures; generate random treasure and weather; and much more! ***** Download the free trial at www.dmgenie.com ! **** _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* MY EXPERIENCE ON THE PICTURE SIDE OF THE SCREEN: 6 TIPS FOR PLAYERS By Johnn Four This past Saturday I had the pleasure of joining a new campaign as a player. The GMing was excellent and I rubbed shoulders with some very skilled players. This is going to be a great campaign! Below are a few tips and observations I made from a player's perspective. I don't get many tip submissions for players, so hopefully these are of value to the player subscribers out there. 1. Use Cut Scenes That Start With Action ======================================== Cut scenes have been mentioned in the ezine before and are usually a GM technique. However, a fellow player in our game initiated a cut scene and it worked very well. If certain basic rules are followed, player initiated cut scenes are a wonderful technique for improving game play. In Computer Roleplaying Games (CRPG), a cut-scene is a non- interactive storytelling sequence that usually involves video or high-res computer graphics. My definition of cut scenes for tabletop RPGs is that they're short narratives or expositions that reveal information about the game world, PCs/NPCs, or adventure plot. They're non-interactive and don't need to be synched to the time line or present actions of the PCs. They're useful for providing clues, atmosphere, drama, and entertainment to game sessions. To create a cut scene, a player gets the attention of the GM and narrates a situation or event, describing: * Who/what is involved * Where the scene takes place * When the scene takes place * How the scene unfolds First, second, and third person narrations are acceptable, though if the player's PC is involved then first person (in- character) is best. Player cut scenes usually involve the player's character, but that's not essential. Some example player cut scenes: * The player describes an event that took place in the PC's past to reveal some aspect of the character, explain the reason behind a motive or goal, or provide a plot hook for the GM. "While we're waiting for Bob to get back from the bathroom, let me tell you about something interesting that took place a few years back in the village. It all started with a dead orc, a ball of string, and some unfinished business with a bully..." * The player narrates a situation involving NPCs important to his character (such as friends or relatives) to flesh them out a bit, to help the GM, or amuse the group. "Hey GM, while those guys are figuring out what to do next, can I tell you a bit about my character's parents? Cool. One day, when my father was still a boy..." * The player moves things forward in a current scene that involves his PC and that's stalled or is winding down, saving some game time and helping the GM. "Hey GM, cutting over to me for a sec, I give the room one final search, making the place an even bigger mess and then kick some of the furniture over in frustration. I cast one last gaze around the room, daring a clue to reveal itself, and then slam the door shut on my way out. A single feather from a shredded pillow floats slowly down in silence to land on the slashed wizard's portrait on the floor. The whole place has an almost palpable tension in anticipation of the mage's return. I quickly rejoin the party." Benefits of player cut scenes: * Fill lulls and periods of silence during game play * Keep up the energy at the game table * Provide plot hooks for the GM * Can communicate things about the PC in a "show, don't tell" format * Help keep the game moving forward by introducing new information or wrapping up unimportant threads * Help the GM by taking the initiative to resolve something in a succinct manner rather than through a more time- consuming, interactive, "what do you do now" way Player cut scene tips: * Inject cut scenes with some kind of emotion, such as humour, drama, or empathy, to make them interesting. Nobody enjoys listening to a long, boring, flat narration. * Keep the scene to under one or two minutes, real time. Short and sweet means you'll be allowed to do it again. :) * Keep the scope of the scene as narrow as possible to avoid treading on the GM's feet. * Do not script the actions of other PCs. * Do not significantly change or impact any in-game element. The GM might have plans of his own and you don't want the GM angry at you! * Leave the ending open to provide the GM an opportunity to weave it into his storytelling without extra effort. * If the cut scene takes place in the present, keep the scene's time line very short. You do not want to script too much or the GM will be forced to backtrack your scene so as to synch it to other events that are happening. * Leave what takes place in the scene as open to interpretation as possible so the GM can slant things to suit his purposes. For example, use words and phrases such as: - "Might be/could be" - "Probably" - "It's possible that..." - "Some might think that..." - "It appears that..." - "Making it seem like..." - "Maybe" 2. Journalize Using Post-It Notes ================================= This method of note taking might not suit every player's style, but it worked quite well for me. It was an idea I borrowed from a player in a campaign I'm GMing (Hi Bimp!). Use Post-It Notes to record session notes. Their small size forces brevity and the sticky factor makes cataloguing them flexible and easy. Players should try to take notes during the game, even if they just consist of the names of NPCs met and important locations in the campaign area. Using the right names instead fumbling them goes a long way towards immersion, and if you're a wargamer, it helps get those pesky roleplaying types off your back. ;) I usually take notes using writing pads, notebooks, or letter size looseleaf, so trying out the Post-Its was a new experiment for me. What I find sometimes is that extensive note taking becomes a chore and a distraction. I'm trying to record every action and piece of information and end up focusing on journalizing instead of playing. Post-Its forced me to be brief, freeing up a lot of time for me, while still creating a useful campaign reference. For example, noting "Softheath - rival village" was much quicker than my usual would have been--"Softheath. A village two miles away that claims the quarry of our village as theirs." With Post-Its, you can categorize them and stack them. For example, you might have separate Post-Its for NPCs, locations, and game world tid bits. When a note gets full, grab another from the pad and stick it over the previous note for that category so you can flip through them quickly. Other uses for Post-Its for players during games: * Recording temporary statistics, such as spell effects on attack numbers, or steadily declining hit points. :) * Pictures. The player I'm GMing creates wonderful thumbnail sketches of magic items and creatures fought, one per note. Magic item Post-Its can be passed around as ownership changes. Creature sketches can be placed on campaign maps as colourful callouts. * Figure bases. With the recent D&D rules revisions, figure/mini base sizes no longer reflect the facing stated in the rules. For example, a horse fig's base might be 1" wide and 2" long--perfect for the old 5x10 facing. The new rules square off all creature facing though, so a horse is now 10x10. A quick solution is to cut up a Post-It to scale and stick it to a fig, so 2"x2" for the horse example above. Place it sticky side up so it adheres to the fig and not the battlemat. My first inclination was to place the horse fig dead center of the trimmed Post-It. However, another player had a great idea and right-aligned the horse on the note to make room for placing a rider fig on the left-side. * Spells and powers. Make a library of abilities and their rules for fast reference during play. 3. Master The Game Rules ======================== My GM had definitely mastered the D&D rules set and it showed during play. Pauses for rules research and page flipping behind the screen were almost nil and this translated into very smooth play, more storytelling, and a fun time. Players should master the game rules too, for the same reasons. You don't have to master every rule though, just the ones important to your PC. For example, if you're a warrior you should have a good grasp of the combat rules and options. If you're a spell caster, get those spell stats and mechanics down on paper or in your head. Some player rules mastery tips: * Volunteer to do the rules research in-game whenever needed. This is one of the best ways to master a rules set, unless your group has minimal rules issues. - You're forced to learn how the rule book is organized. You'll learn where to find rules and be able to find them quickly. - Reading the rule will help you remember it. - Then explaining the rule, reading it aloud, or paraphrasing it for the others will reinforce in your brain what you've just read. * Record rules pertinent to your character on a reference sheet. Do this during the session when you're not busy or between sessions. Again, this helps you learn where the rules are in the book and is a good memory technique. * Create an evolving library of combat maneuvers, especially for actions not covered by the rules, for house rules, or for actions arbitrarily refereed by the GM. Not only does this note taking help you understand combat, but it's a great tool for helping the GM maintain campaign consistency. "Bob, how did we resolve that type of thing last time?" "Let me check my note. Here it is -- we rolled 2d6 and..." * Create a spell library spreadsheet. This is another tip I can credit a fellow group member with. Recording spell stats in a spreadsheet program, such as Excel, will help you learn the rules and create a customizable resource for future PCs. Sure, you could find the spells online and paste them in, and if you're pressed for time that's a good method, but reading and typing them in manually definitely helps you learn the rules. * Read the rules when you're bored or inactive. In-game, general rules research keeps you quiet and out of the GM's hair. :) During the action, make a note of any rules employed that you're not familiar with and then research them when you're not busy and your attention isn't required. Between games, rule books make great bathroom and transit reading. It's also easy to digest a rule or two during the commercials of your favourite cartoon show. A final note to GMs. When I GM I put pressure on myself to employ the rules correctly, seamlessly, and gracefully. This is a personal goal and one I'm always trying to reach. Sitting on the picture side of the screen though, I was quite happy to let my GM gloss over rules issues for the sake of game play. Make a decision, keep it consistent until an official ruling is found, and move on. My fellow players felt the same way. Out of this experience I'm taking away the knowledge that the players want you, the GM, to be successful. They won't care if you make mistakes as long as you're fair and consistent. So, don't put extra pressure on yourself to have perfect rules mastery. That will come with time and experience. And if there's a rules lawyer in the group, I'm prepared as a player to say, "You have a good point, but the GM's call sounds fair, so let's keep playing for now and we can clear that up during the next break." 4. Roleplay With Other Players when The Spotlight Is Off ======================================================== Roleplaying with other players when you're not required to pay attention is a good way to maintain immersion and focus. This is a classic tip, and I'd like to add another part to it: Roleplay with the purpose of enhancing the game session in some way. Gaming in-character with other idle players is a wonderful tool not just to pass the time, but to reap a number of game benefits as well. * Exploring character personality. This was the first session of the campaign and all the characters were new to us. I found that roleplaying with other PCs helped me explore my character's personality in an "unofficial way" so that, when an important game moment happened with the GM, I was ready to roleplay with confidence and consistency. * Creating plot hooks. Asking other PCs in-character about their backgrounds, goals, and intentions is a great way to explore ideas and options. Latch onto any solid idea that emerges, take note of it, and inform the GM when he's not busy or between sessions. Most GMs love player-driven plots and side-plots and will appreciate your efforts. Being a cunning and selfish player, I look forward to reaping great benefits in the future with this tip for I feel that no plot hook should be forwarded to the GM without also suggesting a possible character reward. ;) * Generating character background. At the game session, we made characters, got some one-on-one time with the GM to discuss basic PC info, and then immediately jumped into an encounter. During idle times during the encounter, I was able to learn more about the campaign world from the other players by roleplaying with them and exploring what they were told during their one-on-ones. This new knowledge helped me flesh out my PC's background a bit more. Also, being asked questions such as "What do your parents do?" forced me to think about those things. The fact that it was on-the-spot also helped exercise my creative and RPing skills. * Drawing shy players out of their shell. Try to roleplay quietly with shy players, people new to the group, and tired players. These player "one-on-ones" can help draw others out so they're more participative. * Distracting rules lawyers. Hehe. 5. Being Quiet Is Tough ======================= I usually GM and boy, did I ever find it hard being quiet when I wasn't involved in the play or RPing with another player! First off, my personal point of view is that if I don't have anything to contribute to the game then I should keep quiet. I should do some rules research, catch up on my session notes, or turn my character sheet into a work of art. I feel this provides less distraction for the GM and the others, helps game play speed along to the point where I'm involved again (i.e. a new scene or the next combat round), and lets the other players get some spotlight time. However, this goal was tough for me! For example, I failed my willpower saving throw a few times and some puns were unfortunately unleashed. :) In addition, being quiet has a few potential pitfalls: * The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you're quiet you might fall out of the loop and get less spotlight time. The GM might overlook you and possibilities to play are lost. * No news is good news. The GM might think your quietness indicates you're busy and not want to bother you and more possibilities to play are lost. * What's that matter? Some players might mistake your quietness for moodiness. Here are a couple of tips on keeping quiet for productive reasons without getting isolated: * Learn to quickly identity who the spotlight is on. That's your cue not to bother the GM or that player. Feel free to roleplay with other willing players as long as your noise level doesn't exceed the GM/player's. * Look for opportunities to help. "Hey, let me look that spell up for you dude, you keep playing." * Use eye contact and body language with the GM so you communicate that you're available to interact at any time. For example, you could simply smile, raise your eyebrows, or mime what your character is currently doing in his idle state. 6. Avoid Playing Yourself ========================= Roleplay: To assume or act out a particular role. - Dictionary.com Whether you enjoy combat, acting, exploring, solving puzzles, or hanging out with friends, do your best to roleplay your character and not superimpose your own personality and abilities over him. This has many benefits, and I think the biggest will be getting caught up in the spirit of the game. Pet peeves, bad habits, and personality conflicts will fade away (to some extent, at least) and it will be just you, your imagination, and some good gaming. Some roleplaying tips: * Get a good measure of your character. Your character sheet is a road map. It's a set of instructions, parameters, and descriptors. Your job is to figure out how your character expresses this information. Look for strengths and high points. Note weaknesses and low points. Figure out how all this manifests itself in the character's appearance, personality, and behaviour. * Push your character to his limits. While you might grow attached to your character, never stop exploring his boundaries. This might materialize as being the sneakiest, bravest, or mouthiest. It should involve taking risks you personally would never consider. It should mean demonstrating great bravado, impeccable style, or cunning parley. Allow your character to be bigger than life. Characters are fun to play, but I think it's their legacy that is most important. What PCs do you remember the most after a campaign or game session is long done? Which characters do you tell stories about? Which characters of yours do others tell stories about? Try to place each and every one of your characters in this fondly remembered, elite group. I feel the benefits of leaving a legacy like this far outweigh the potential disappointment of a character's failure, embarrassment, or death -- and it's often these very things that put a PC on the hall of fame road in the first place. * Learn to translate numbers into imagery. Regardless of whether other group members speak in numeric or descriptive terms, you can make it your goal to translate all the mechanics into something graphic in your mind's eye. This helps you remember session events, but it also creates a mental environment that will draw your character out and bring him to life. It's difficult to roleplay by thinking of an action as an 18. Instead, if let the GM know you got an 18 and he might say "you hit", try to imagine it as a solid blow to your sweating, dirty hobgoblin foe, your character's face revealing grim determination and a mocking grin of imminent victory. * You are not your character. Your character's failures are not your own unless his failure is lack of participation or not living true to form. Don't take failed actions personally. _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* TIPS REQUEST: Switching From Micro Character Management With my style, I enjoy GMing the day-to-day lives of the PCs as they evolve into fine adventurers and heroes. However, when the game is continually run on a day by day, or even hour by hour basis, it starts to get unrealistic. How much can a character really improve in 24 hours? How can I let my game world change in the background when the time line advances so slowly? Wouldn't the PCs get burnt out after packing so much adventure in such a condensed time frame? However, switching to a longer time frame mid-game is often troublesome: * Characters want to act immediately ("Ok, in the morning I want to chat with the innkeeper") * Plot threads might not tolerate longer time intervals ("Three weeks pass -- oh wait, the goblin hoard was advancing, so I guess we have to rewind.") * Administration can bog the game down ("Three weeks pass? Ok, my character wants to study some things, re-equip, get some training, and start building a house.") So, my tips request for you this week is advice on switching from micro character management (i.e. "Ok, the monster is dead, what are you doing now?") to longer time frames (i.e. "Ok, the monster is dead, the village celebrates, and three weeks pass.") with grace and efficiency. Perhaps you have some planning advice to prevent this problem from happening in the first place, or some in-game storytelling techniques for this? Send your tips to: johnn@roleplayingtips.com mailto:johnn@roleplayingtips.com Thanks! _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* READERS' TIPS OF THE WEEK 1. Using Cardboard Tokens Instead of Miniatures From: Derek McKay =============================================== While miniatures convey a lovely atmosphere and embody the attributes and attitude of characters, they don't always work so well for NPCs. In our group, we instead use 25x25mm cardboard squares. On one edge is a small arrow to indicate which way it is facing. And in the middle there is the NPC's name or an identifying number/letter ("A", "B", "C"...). The number and arrow are drawn in thick coloured felt-tip pen so that they are easily visible from around the table. During combat, if the players need to annotate the tokens, they can. They are so cheap to produce that they can be scribbled on, flipped over, torn up, and then, when necessary, easily replaced. By allowing players to write on the NPC tokens, they can put what they think is necessary and not what the GM thinks is important. Over time, the players have developed their own unwritten battle code to annotate them. For example, "Sw" indicates "Sword", and a little spiral indicates "charmed". Because it is up to the players to annotate the detail, they pay attention to the descriptions and decide what is important to them. This in turn helps them gain an improved perspective of the situation, resulting in better battles and less need to describe over and over which NPC is doing what. 2. Balancing Frequency & Size of Rewards From: Adam Flynn ======================================== It's important to consider psychology when granting rewards to characters (money, items, etc) or players (experience points, etc). It's observable that to many people, constant small rewards are ultimately less satisfactory than infrequent large rewards (in the same way that Christmas is more enjoyable than receiving one small gift a week and never getting Christmas). An example of this is the number of lottery winners who take all their winnings in a lump sum, despite the fact that a long-term payout in small amounts would produce a larger total. There are two operative principals at work here: Frequency of Reward and Size of Reward. Frequency Of Reward ------------------- The idea behind determining the correct frequency of rewards to bestow is anticipation. A player must be given an opportunity to develop their own desire to be rewarded. If a reward comes with no struggle, effort, or delay then part of its satisfaction is gone -- proper anticipation colors a reward with layers of emotional significance so that when it is received, it's like two rewards in one. However, a reward too long delayed or too hard won makes a player question whether the effort or time involved was worth the result. The player's emotional response to the reward makes it seem less than it actually is. Therefore, we must strive to identify that point when desire is highest and disappointment has not yet begun to grow too strong - and deliver an appropriate reward at this point. In a pinch, surprise (wherein the player was never aware reward was available in first place), can also appease a player. Surprise has the advantage that there is usually no disappointment or anticipation involved -- a player can enjoy reward without it being colored by either mindset. Size Of Reward -------------- The idea behind determining the correct size of reward is significance. If the reward has no significant impact on the character, then it's not a true reward. Giving a copper pence to a wealthy prince with vaults of gold is meaningless -- unless it's a copper pence stained with the blood of his father or some such. A reward can exist in multiple dimensions of the game setting, such as: * Wealth (gold) * Society (a noble title) * Emotion (a personal relationship to an NPC) * Information (a favor owed by a knowledgeable seer) * Esthetic (a beautifully stitched tunic that draws admiring comments from passersby) Similarly (but more constrained), a player reward must be significant. Giving 5 xp to a 10th level character is likely to draw a "why bother" more than a thanks from some players. A player must feel that reward will meaningfully affect his character for it to be valued. Again, we must be careful that we don't overdo it. A single reward should not unbalance the game or seem to favor one character too highly over the others. Too large a reward may cause an inflation in further rewards in order to continue to engage players. Something as simple as balancing effectiveness against usefulness (i.e. a powerful magical horn that can only be blown under a full moon) can allow a reward to seem larger than it is in eyes of players without affecting the careful reward economy the GM already has in place. In summation, rewards must combine anticipation, the ability to see meaningful improvement to a character as a direct result, and the appropriate distance from each other in time for both character and player. Anticipation and Significance are two axis against which most rewards can be judged, both for player and character. 3. Viking Names Resource From: Andrew Gould ======================== One magnificent source of Viking names is Njal's Saga, a 13th Century Viking saga written originally in Icelandic and translated at [ http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Njal/ ]. It tells the story of Njal, his family, his wife Bergthora, and his friend Gunnar. But it's chock full of extensive genealogies. Check this out (from Section 25): "There was a man named Valgard, he kept house at Hof by Rangriver, he was the son of Jorund the Priest, and his brother was Wolf Aurpriest (1). (1) The son of Ranveig the Silly, the son of Valgard, the son of Aefar, the son of Vemund Wordstopper, the son of Thorolf Hooknose, the son of Thrand the Old, the son of Harold Hilditann, the son of Hraereck Ringscatterer. The mother of Harold Hilditann, was Aud the daughter of Ivar Widefathom, the son of Halfdan the Clever. The brother of Valgard the Guileful was Wolf Aurpriest -- from whom the Pointdwellers sprung -- Wolf Aurpriest was the father of Swart, the father of Lodmund, the father of Sigfus, the father of Saemund the Wise. But from Valgard is sprung Kolbein the Young." Ranveig the Silly? I think I prefer Halfdan the Clever. Peruse this saga for a veritable treasure trove of Viking and Icelandic names. _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* GMs! Tired of missing players in games? Looking for alternative communication for traveling players? Thinking about broadening your player base? Email not fast enough? Sick of message boards? Try the next big step in -your- games. Enjoy the flexibility of the IRC medium. It's free! http://www.darkmyst.org We're everything you need, and more! _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* That's it for this week's issue. Have more fun at every game! Johnn Four mailto:johnn@roleplayingtips.com _______________________________________________________ ******************************************************* MY PRIVACY POLICY & HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE "Roleplaying Tips Weekly" is provided to you free of charge by RoleplayingTips.com. It is sent only to those who have specifically requested to receive it. My subscriber list has never been and never will be available to any third party. EVER! Your privacy is very important to me, therefore it receives the respect it deserves. SUBSCRIBE TO "ROLEPLAYING TIPS WEEKLY" RolePlayingTipsWeekly-On@lists.webvalence.com UNSUBSCRIBE FROM "ROLEPLAYING TIPS WEEKLY" RolePlayingTipsWeekly-Off@lists.webvalence.com SUBMISSIONS Submission Guidelines, send blank email to: submissionguidelines@roleplayingtips.com SUPPLEMENTAL ISSUES To receive information on how to request all supplemental issues published to date, send a blank email to: all-supplementals@roleplayingtips.com Copyright (c) 2003, Johnn Four, RoleplayingTips.com. All Rights Reserved. email: johnn@roleplayingtips.com web site: http://www.roleplayingtips.com Reporter: Charles Date: 7:08PM, September 4, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1240 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Purge Beta 4 Ready for Download ------------------------- Purge Jihad Beta 4 is ready for download. This fixes more bugs reported yesterday at our forums. Purge Jihad has an extensive number of new skills and weapons. This beta only tests that, thus it only 14MB. It also have gibs/limb-loss and 5 minute Portal protection. Other features for Purge Jihad such as the Deities, the Altar, and the new prayer system are NOT in this beta. The new weapons and skills such as the UA-12 Drone need extensive balancing, please post bugs or balance issues to the Purge forums ASAP. Purge Jihad will be released mid-September. ftp://purge-download:f1n4l@204.92.71.72/PurgeJihadBeta1.8C.zip [Instructions] 1. Make sure you have Purge 1.4.0 patched to Purge 1.4.7. Go to http://www.purgeonline.net and get the 1.4.7 patch if you don't have it already. 2. Simply decompress this PurgeJihadBeta.zip into your Purge directory. It decompresses a file called PURGEMOD.REZ. 3. This beta runs for 1 week. When it is over, simply delete the PURGEMOD.REZ file and Purge will revert back to 1.4.7. A server is up to test this beta. Remember to report back issues. Reporter: Charles Date: 7:05PM, September 4, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1239 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Jeff Rense Weekly E-News ------------------------- Jeff Rense Weekly E-News Rense.com - World's Most Revealing News Service The Week Ahead 9-1-03 to 9-7-03 The sponsors on rense.com help keep it free. Please let them know you appreciate them by visiting their page. * IN DEPTH NEWS * Daily, Rense.com gives you all sides of the story - multiple articles on the most important issues of the day. While we may not agree with every story posted, we do maintain it is your right to read them all and decide for yourself. This week's top stories and compilations: 007 MURDER MYSTERY - Who Killed Congressman Lawrence Patton McDonald? - Congressman Larry McDonald: Prisoner Of War - The State Department Cover-Up Of KAL Flight 007 - Larry McDonald's 'Swiss Report' - The Last Flight of KAL 007 - KAL 007:The Flight To Hell BC UFO FLAP - BC UFOs, Beam Of Light, Puzzled & Frightened Residents CHOMSKY The Loneliness Of Noam Chomsky WHEN Hitler was carrying out his genocidal pogrom against Jews, U.S. officials refused entry to Jewish refugees fleeing Germany. The United States entered the war only after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. Drowned out by the noisy hosannas is its most barbaric act, in fact the single most savage act the world has ever witnessed: the dropping of the atomic bomb on civilian populations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More... TO TELL THE TRUTH George W. Bush Is Not A Liar HE is just an embroiderer, you see. A weaver of deceit. A knitter of cajolery. - More... WAR GAMES Using Private Lynch "SHE wasn't wounded in action, nor did she do anything to deserve a Bronze Star," writes Arch McNeill. - More... APOCALYPSE THEN - The Never-Tested Doomsday Bomb CURTAIN CALL - How Long Before The Whole Game Comes Down? - Can We Save Ourselves? DEATH RAY - Horrifying US Secret - Weapon Unleashed In Baghdad ---- ---- ---- * FEATURED ARTICLE * (Editor's comment after story) US Half-Trillion In The Red - Then It Gets Worse The Palm Beach Post 8-30-3 Ugly as the record $480 billion deficit for next year looks, the truth is uglier. The estimate doesn't include the $1 billion-a- week acknowledged cost of occupying Iraq or the expected billions to build power and water systems, and the government must borrow $644 billion, not $480 billion, to get through the year. The difference is what it will take from Social Security. As late as 1983, total federal spending wasn't as much as the amount Mr. Bush must borrow in the year that starts Oct. 1. Over 10 years, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that $1.4 trillion will be added to the national debt -- $3.8 trillion if the borrowing from Social Security is counted. After 10 years, Congress will face a national debt nearly equal to today's $11 trillion gross domestic product, and the Baby Boomers will expect their Medicare and Social Security. Wearing his "What, me worry?" face, the first Republican apologist to react was House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa. "We've got to hold the line on spending," he said. NASA needs money, according to those who investigated the shuttle explosion. Airport baggage inspectors are being cut, and there isn't money to inspect more than 2 percent of cargo containers coming into the country. That's part of the line Rep. Nussle wants to hold. For dotty optimism, though, see The Wall Street Journal editorial page. That's where the chatterers of the right go for their talking points. It says Mr. Bush's tax cuts pay off with phenomenal growth. Actual growth in the last quarter was 3.1 percent. The CBO estimates 5.4 percent annual growth for the next five years -- which would be phenomenal -- and still shows deficits through 2011. Not even a rosy scenario can make Mr. Bush's budgets look balanced. OK, so the new CBO numbers may turn out no more accurate over time than the $5.6 trillion surplus Mr. Bush blew through. But it's easier to imagine events that would make the new numbers worse -- war in Korea or Iran, worldwide financial crisis, tax cuts not ending on schedule -- than events that would improve them -- invention of a new product with as much economic impact as computers and the Internet had when they came along. As the CBO foresees 2008, the year Mr. Bush expects to be his last in office, Congress will have $449 billon for non-defense spending while it has to pay $510 billion in interest on the debt it's still running up. The past will get more than the present. That's a prospect the party in power created. Why go there? Copyright C 2003, The Palm Beach Post. All rights reserved. http://www.palmbeachpost.com From Rense.com ---- ---- ---- * Editor's Corner * Okay, so the above story looks bleak, would you think? I suppose so. But the other side of that coin is bright - it just needs a bit of polishing. In a depression, money doesn't just dry up and disintegrate. It simply changes hands. In the "Great Depression", mega-fortunes were made and you'd recognize most of their names. So it's time. It's time to start trading with your neighbors, getting to know the guy that mows the lawn down the street. . . you just might discover that he wants one of those widgets you've been tinkering with (and rather enjoy making). Or, maybe he needs one of those well-pump-handles that your neighbor makes - your neighbor wants one of your widgets - and you want your lawn mowed. Get the picture? You have a skill or a product that somebody else is willing to pay or trade for. You might not have thought of what it is yet - but you have one. Now, the capital (fiscal and human) manipulators do play a _number_ of games. One game is to keep moving the cheese around the maze to keep us confused. Another is to make the cheese in the next tunnel a new and improved flavor so we'll detour (and get confused). One of the more insidious games, however, to remove a major number of the bits of colored paper from circulation. There are fewer bits per person and everybody is trained to connect the cheese to the bits of used paper. In the CON-FUSION, people forget they can drop a crumb of old cheese into new milk and make all the cheese they need. So go out and meet someone who's got milk and somebody who's got crumbs. Everything is an opportunity. There's so much opportunity out there, it's unfathomable. People who sew, can sell 'RFID-free clothing'. People who teach, can home-school enough kids to pay their bills - (and teach them real skills like cheese-making, or ethanol production). The possibilities are endless and exciting. Let them play their monetary games among themselves. We have better things to build. ---- ---- ---- * FEATURED QUOTE * >From Danny G. He who helps others helps himself. ------------------ Got a favorite quote? Feel free to send it: mailto:e-news@the-i.net?Subject=quote ---- ---- ---- The Money Masters How the International Bankers Gained Control of America Video Tape Set http://www.hiddenmysteries.com/redir/index448.html ---- ---- ---- * OTHER TOP STORIES * Just a FEW of last week's most intriguing! http://rense.com * UPDATE Army Says US Soldier Dies Of 'Acute Leukemia' * Chile - Chupacabras Wipe Out Henhouse * Bush Eliminates Monitioring Of US Radioactive Materials! * Bombing Fury Pushes Iraq Into New Peril * Mugabe Building Himself A Lavish Palace * US Touts Iraq Reconstruction 'Opportunities' * Chile - Congressmen Left Speechless By UFO Testimony * Flame Retardants Linked To Brain, Sexual Damage * 500,000 Iraqis Shias Mourn Dead - 'Down With America' * Over 37,000 Iraqi Civilians Killed To Date * Five CA Chicken Flocks Confirmed WNV Positive * Bush Says CO2 Is Not A Pollutant * Call To Ban All Fishing In 1/3 Of World's Seas * Hot Summer Sparks Global Food Crisis * DARPA's Creepy Bioengineering Program * Internet Babies Weave Tangled Web For Lawmakers * Case Of 19 'Terrorists' In Canada Unravelling * 'Even Prison Has A Door' * 'Non-Pod' People Of America Must Unite * 100,000 At 6th Annual Love Parade In Tel Aviv * Voting Machine Owner Committed To Give Votes To Bush * US Decree Strips Thousands Of Iraqis Of Their Jobs * New Ohio Crop Formation - Pictures * 10 New Species Of Fish Discovered In Venezuela * Alarm Over Hungary's Shrinking Lake * GM Crops 'Blight' Spanish Farms * Percy Schmeiser Prepares For Final Battle With Monsanto * Maybe 8,000 US Wounded In Bush's Iraq War - Report * Top Aide To Britain's Blair Quits Amid Iraq Storm * Canadian Govt Begins Selling Pot * Smiling On Passport Photos Now Barred In Canada * Iraq Was Buying Forbidden US High-Tech Goods * French Heatwave Toll At More Than 11,400 Dead * Housework Gives Men Sex Appeal Read these stories and more at http://www.rense.com ---- ---- ---- Energy Vampires Our lives are a constant exchange of energy. A practical guide for how to protect yourself, your business, and the people you care about. http://www.hiddenmysteries.com/redir500/index592.html ---- ---- ---- * THIS WEEK'S GUESTS * Monday-Friday 7-10pm Pacific - Saturday 9pm - 3am Pacific Sunday 8pm-11pm Pacific (Please note Jeff's Guest schedule can change due to late breaking stories, etc). MON 9-1 George Filer: MUFON UFO Report Dennis Hall: 30 Years Researching Champ TUE 9-2 Micheal Roll, Peter Wadhams, John Samson: Proof Of Life After Death WED 9-3 Jack Cashill: New Development Flt 800 Shootdown THU 9-4 Pending FRI 9-5 Dave Oester/Sharon Gill: Ghost Voice Recordings ---- ---- ---- Albuquerque, New Mexico October 18, 2003 What is happening to us and our precious planet ? Earth Matrix Solutions Symposium http://www.hiddenmysteries.com/albuq-tour/ ---- ---- ---- * VALUABLE INFORMATION * PROGRAM SHOW TIMES - Pacific Standard Time Talk Radio Network a total of over 200 hours a month. Monday-Friday 7-10 pm Live Encores: Saturday 12 am-3 am Best Of Rense Sunday 8 pm to 2 am Pacific CALL IN LINE: 800 876 4123 AUDIO TAPES: 888 456-4340 BROADCASTS & ARCHIVES: http://www.rense.com - Upper left ADVERTISING: Responsive audience. COST EFFECTIVE exposure: http://www.rense.com/adv.htm Book Nook: http://www.rense.com/bookadv.htm CONTACT CENTER: http://www.rense.com/1.mail/infocenter.html ---- ---- ---- Share with your friends! Please feel free to forward this issue of the Jeff Rense Weekly E-News to any and all who are interested... but please forward in its entirety and do not modify it in any fashion without permission. Thank you! Past issues are archived at http://www.yahoogroups.com ------------------------- mailto:rense_e-news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe: mailto:rense_e-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com -------------------------- Jeff Rense Weekly E-News is independently produced by TGS in cooperation with Jeff Rense. The material and views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Jeff Rense, rense.com, sightings.com, or the Jeff Rense - Sightings Radio Program, except for the *Jeff's Desk* segment. -.-Spam and virus filtered by modusMail using Norman virus engine.-.- Reporter: Charles Date: 6:57PM, September 4, 2003 Available At: http://www.omgn.com/news.php?Item_ID=1238 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------- Party Tips Newsletter #3 ------------------------- Welcome to PartyTips newsletter 3 http://www.Superhero-Costumes.com Hosting a party can be daunting. I hope you will find this newsletter useful in picking up some hints and tips that I have found useful in the past. If you have any comments on the newsletter, or have any tips that you would like to share with me, please email me at newsletter@Superhero-Costumes.com I also hope that you will find useful the occasional recommendation that I may make to you. Rest assured I will only recommend products and services that I have used and found to be reputable. =========================================== Let's get going with this issue of the newsletter. Some people don't need an excuse to throw a party, but sometimes its useful to have an excuse. One of my favourites is an "Oscars" theme party to combine watching the Academy Awards and having my friends round for the evening. When it comes round to that time of year again you could emulate Hollywood by getting your friends together and celebrating the movies. Here's a few tips I've found are useful for this type of party. 1. If you don't have a red carpet, dye an old sheet red and make sure your friends can make an entrance to your TV room. Hand out disposable cameras to give your party a "paparazzi" feel as your guests arrive. 2. Make sure your guests are glammed up to the max - dinner jackets, bow ties, ballgowns and tiaras. Serve the best champagne and some tasty hors d-ouevres - smoked salmon and caviar always impress. 3. If your party won't be quite that exclusive why not glam it down a bit - you can still buy good sparkling wine at a reasonable price. An informal buffet with tasty nibbles still looks good. 4. If your wardrobes' don't extend to Gucci, you can still have fun dressing up. Agree a spending limit - $15 - and get your guests to look their best buying their party outfits from local thrift shops. There should be a prize for the coolest looking guest. 5. Throw an anti-glam party - your guests should attend in their oldest clothes - the ones they would wear to clean the car. Your guests will supply the food and drinks - beer, chips, pizza. 6. Combine a costume party with the movie theme by asking your guests to attend dressed as their favourite movie star or character. You could ensure you are best-dressed by visiting our sponsor BuyCostumes (http://www.Superhero-Costumes.com/movies) to see a great range of movie costumes - Harry Potter, Austin Powers, Star Wars and all the Disney favorites to name a few. And then you can award yourself the prize for the best costume! 7. Ask your guests to write a description of a movie starring the party guests that night, including the cast. Give prizes for the best suggestions of who would play them… and you! 8. Have a competition to guess who will win the main categories - prizes again for whoever gets the most correct. 9. Ask the guests to dress up as their favourite actor or actress. Make it more difficult by limiting it to this years nominees. 10. Keep an eye on what's happening at the ceremony, and then have a quiz at the end of the show. You might have to warn your guests that they should be concentrating, too. 11. With your invitations, you should list the names of the guests you are inviting, and ask them to nominate each other for categories such as "Most likely to be Angelina Jolie's new leading man" or "Most likely to win the heart of George Clooney". Or have them come up with the categories themselves, which is more fun. On awards night put up a board with the nominees and have the guests vote for the winners. Announce the winners and allow them a short acceptance speech. I hope you found this series of tips useful. You might not need to use them right away, but save this email, and you can refer back to it in the future. Your next issue of the PartyTips newsletter, brought to you by http://www.Superhero-Costumes.com, will be with you in a couple of weeks, when we'll look at how to hire a caterer for your party. Happy partying! Hannah =========================================== Sponsor Halloween isn't the only time you need a costume. We have the largest selection of costumes available on the Internet. You can find everything you need for all the upcoming holidays! Summer is quickly approaching and that means fun! Time for all the great summertime activities: Parades, Picnics, Luaus, Concerts and 4th of July Celebrations! Everything you need for School Plays, Pageants, Dance Recitals and Theme Parties is right here, we have made it easy for you. Save time and money with BuyCostumes. http://www.superhero-costumes.com/buycostumes Reporter: Charles Date: 6:49PM, September 4, 2003 |