Off-topic

March 14

Hi fellas.

Something come up in my mind, and I decide to make it happen.

How about making a card that can describe:
- Your personality. (Meme or pun is acceptable, but it's optional), or
- Description of your user ID, or what effect would be if your ID was a card, or
- Something you like to do in your life and make that into a card.

Any feedback is always appreciated. Anything. But please make sure your ID is on the card name itself
And It's up to you to use any kind of card. Whether it's Runeterra, Hearthstone, etc.

But since I mostly played Hearthstone, here's mine.

Happy Weekend.
EDIT. I wonder what kind of card Flux would be. Had been in my mind a few times.

I'm interested in trying out the game now that it's free to play. What are your impressions of it, and is it worth a try?

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can give me some advise? I'm a F2P Hearthstone player since The Grand Tournament expansion. I played a bit of The Elder Scrolls: Legends when it started but I haven't played any other CCG's.

In Hearthstone i like to play my own decks or off meta decks I see on the internet. With these homebrew or off meta deck i still want to be competive, minimal rank 5/legend each month (on 2 servers). I don't play aggro (but I don't hate paying against it) but mostly more greedy midrange decks. I like to fight for the board. That's why I also like arena. Most important is that I'm never out of cards! I like to have a hand full of cards (draw of discover) so each turn there are many choices to make. I don't like polarizing decks. I want a chance to win in every game. I don't like the huge swing turns Hearthstone have at the moment, like Cheese Paladin. Besides Standard and a bit of arena/wild I don't play any other game modes. I don't like duels that much and i really dislike battlegrounds and solo adventures. I play around 80% of my games on pc and 20% on mobile.

With all this in mind, which CCG would you advise me to play? Runeterra, Magic, Mythgard or any other?

I noticed a spaceship had appeared on the forum.

HOLD STILL !

anchorm4n created a thread for book recommendations, and Koetti asked if comics counted (recommending Blacksad). I figured "hey, why not create a new sister thread just of comic recommendations? First a note though : actually buying comics is terribly expensive and impractical. If you're interested, I recommend trying to borrow trade paperbacks from your local library -- they are collections of 5-6 issues in a single ~130 page book, and most collect them just like normal books. Alternatively, the following online resources are great:

• If your library participates, https://www.hoopladigital.com/ is incredible -- you'll get ~6 free downloads every month, and they have a very respectable library
• "ComiXology Unlimited", "Marvel Unlimited", and "DC Universe Infinite" are subscription models, like Netflix for comics.

OK, recommendations (disclaimer, all these will be on the mature side of things) :

Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughan illustrated by Fiona Staples - 54 issues and going

Frankly, you should be suspicious of any list of great comics that doesn't at least acknowledge Saga -- it's just that good. Saga is a one-of-a-kind sprawling space opera that's like Romeo and Juliet meets Star Wars. Be forewarned that it is very R rated though and often goes over the top.

Hawkeye, written by Matt Fraction illustrated by David Aja - 18 issues

You know all those jokes that Hawkeye is the weakest Avenger? Matt Fraction doesn't just lean into that schtick; he buys it a steak dinner. But the real magic trick is how, in a universe full gods and world-ending threats, he gets you to instead care about the residents of a crappy apartment complex and a one-eyed dog. 

The Boys, written by Garth Ennis illustrated by Darick Robertson - 72 issues

OK yes there's a very popular Amazon series based on this series, but the original comics are fantastic in their own right! And they are different enough that, even if you're fully caught up with the Amazon version, the comics can still surprise you. The final twists near the end of the series are what really do it for me, though -- I don't think I can name another villain I've sympathized with so much yet at the same time needed to see him stopped.

Invincible, written by Robert Kirkman illustrated by Ryan Ottley - 144 issues

Another comic that's about to have an Amazon series! This is Robert Kirkman's homage to classic superhero comics, and he does a fabulous job reproducing all the standard tropes...only to break them when you least expect it. The story starts with the titular character in a "son of Superman" role, but it certainly doesn't stay there. Fantastic combination of engaging characters, thrilling plot lines, and some surprisingly bloody action sequences.

Lazarus, written by Greg Rucka illustrated by Michael Lark, 28 issues and going

I generally enjoy all of Greg Rucka's work, and he's done some premiere world-building with this series. It's set in a dystopian future where everything is ruled by 16 rival families who are constantly warring and making and breaking alliances with each other. Each family is allowed one special champion, a lazarus, to be imbued with death-defying regenerative abilities through either cybernetics, nanites, pharmaceuticals, or some combination thereof. The whole thing takes on a modern day Game-Of-Thrones vibe.

Red Sonja, written by Gail Simone illustrated by Walter Geovanni, 18 issues

I'd always been dismissive of Red Sonja -- the whole "barbarian in a chain-mail bikini" appearance felt like a trap. Gail Simone does some incredible work with the character, though, forcing me to reassess everything. The opening scene sets the series perfectly : bandits come across a half-sleeping Sonja, who lazily admits them she's probably too drunk to stop them from making off with her horse but not so drunk that they wouldn't regret trying more. What follows is a beautiful blend of drama and comedy that makes me wish it wasn't only 18 issues long. 

Been wanting to increase my photoshop skills lately, post some prompts below and i'll make the one i like the best(or maybe multiple) here's the base image.

It's probably one of my favorite pics, but if you have ideas i don't mind if you post your own base images.

Though keep in mind i am not super great with it, this is for practice.

Just found out yesterday about a card game in beta based on the Total War franchise. Has anyone tried it yet? Seems to copy a lot of things from HS with some new twists in gameplay also inspired by the front and backline from Gwent. Still looks rough around the edges tho.

Havent had the time for it yet. Anybody else?

There were difficult times. I had to leave the city and move to the village. Here is very very slow Internet and I can not connect to any game (HS or LOR). I asking those who are familiar with card games (which are not for the computer). What games do you advise to play? I played once a couple of matches in MTG, but I did not particularly like the mechanics of lands. So, on which game I need pay attention and which set can I buy for start (2 players)? Or do i need to look at MTG again?

Hey guys and gals, I figured it might be cool to talk about our favorite books, recommend each other hidden gems and keep up to date with promising releases.

For starters, I'd like to let you know that I'm rooting for Science Fiction and Fantasy (big surprise) and everything in between since I've been given the Lord of the Rings as a present on my 10th birthday. Here are some of the titles I'd like to recommend to anyone with a similar taste:

Dan Simmons: The Hyperion Cantos (4 books)
My favorite Sci-Fi books. Don't be fooled by the first book, it's  primarily a set up for the main story which takes place in books 2-4. There's space craft, there's AI, there's an epic love story and if you feel rather sceptic about religion, this is a great book for you.

Eliezer Yudkowsky a.k.a Less Wrong: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Yes, this is a fan fiction. But please hear me out: This is probably the best book I've ever read. The basic question of the book is what Harry Potter would have acted like if he was a (very) intelligent, grown up, modern person. At times it's hillarious, all of it is exciting, and last but not least: it's free. You can read or download the book at www.hpmor.com - I actually went to the lenghts of taking this to a copy shop and having it bound for 80 € because it is so, so great.

David Mack - Dark Arts series (currently 3 books)
This is another series about magicians, but with an interesting twist to the usual pattern: the magicians are yoking demons to perform magic for them. The storys of the first and the second book are taking place during the Second Wolrd War with magic users on both sides. It's way darker than HP in all kind of ways. A good example is the yoking of demons which is mentally exhausting to the point that all major magic users are addicted to alcohol, cocaine or other drugs because they'd lose their mind otherwise.

Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth series (main plot ends after book 11)
One of my favorite fantasy series, The Sword of Truth is a great story about ethics and morale, set in a world full of magic and magical creatures. It has its lengths but never lost its relevance for me, since it colorfully describes what happens if narrowminded, intolerant people gain the upper hand with the help of a very powerful leader. This is adult material as well - there's quite some cruelty and while the sex scenes themselves are scarce and not detailed at all, the teasing which leads to them certainly isn't.
[In my personal opinion, you should start with "Wizard's first rule" and most importantly stop after "Confessor". All the other sequels were just an attempt to milk the cow to death.]

I have chosen to showcase those 4 because my other favorites are rather well known and don't need to be promoted very much imho. Among them are the "Foundation" series by Asimov, the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, "The Forever War" by Haldeman and "The Parafaith War" by Modesitt Jr.

High places on my next to read list are taken by "To sleep in a sea of stars" by Paolini and "The Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss (if he ever manages to finish book 3 of the series). I am entertaining the thought to try Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series for a third (or fourth?) time. I've never managed to get past book 4 because he's all about character development and I prefer faster plots.

What are your favorites? Is there anything you'd like to advertice in particular? Something you're looking forward to? Please tell!

guys, which office chair better to buy for home or better to buy gaming recliner?

I think Hearthstone is better than ever, Team 5 is doing a great job, and I don't typically think about Blizzard, let alone complain about them. However, I think news like this is important, and has broader implications for the video game industry and society.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-03/blizzard-workers-share-salaries-in-revolt-over-wage-disparities

I've worked for large institutions and small non-profits, and I've witnessed unfair wage discrepancies at both. Each time I've been the one earning more, and I volunteered my salary and benefits info with other co-workers who went on to advocate for the pay they deserved (without outing me). It's a good thing to get in the habit of doing. You might found out you should be making more, or you might help someone else. I've never been part of a company-wide revolt, but I've got another 28 years to accomplish that before social security kicks in.

Hey, folks! Just wanted to bring attention to a Kickstarter for what looks to be a pretty interesting card game. Here's the link, if you're interested.

Indeed very off-topic but came up to this creature on the street in front of the house. Never seen this before.
It's kinda huge too if you compare to the leave behind it. Anyone has any idea what scary creature this is?

Hello to everyone,
as you are expert in this field, i would like to know your opinion about this game that i've created.

Since I am a school professor, I've decided to create a virus themed game that allows you to remember good habits such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands. All this, of course, in the form of a dynamic game with a strong strategic component.

The pre-launch website is www.virusboom.online

Your feedback is super important for me. Thank you in advance for your opinion and for accepting me in this forum. :)

Hope everyone is doing okay.
Me and the band I am in decided to hurriedly release our album a bit early amid the ever expanding changes we are facing in this whole world.
We are giving 100% of whatever money we make to The World Health Organization.
You can listen for free via Bandcamp if funds are understandably tight.
We play instrumental post-rock and I would like to say it's soothing to listen to during these times.
Hearthstone has been an awesome distraction, and so has this website. I love Flux and company for doing as much as they do..
https://driftless.bandcamp.com/album/the-greatest-need
Thanks for reading.

so ive been planning to make a game on these forums but i have no ideahs so if anybody has any ideahs that we may incorporate into a game let me know

I like going face.

edit: Yay! So many replies! Even the mods answered!

SOLVED!

Hi there

Was bored and drunk and decided to see what English words were in the word HEARTHSTONE.  No anagrams or backwards, names etc just straightforward English words.  Here's what I came up with, but removed one - first person to find it gets, um, I dunno, universal karma and a +1 :)

A
HE
ON
TO
ART
EAR
ONE
TON
HEAR
TONE
HEART
EARTH
STONE
HEARTH
HEARTHS
HEARTHSTONE

Of course possible I missed more other than the word I omitted in which case double karma!

hey! i ve read on the foroum about some ways to do that. also in other sites but im still confused on how to do that. I live in europe and use paypal mostly. anyone to help me ?